Cannabis in the United States

[5] As a Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970, cannabis containing over 0.3% THC by dry weight (legal term marijuana) is considered to have "no accepted medical use" and a high potential for abuse and physical or psychological dependence.

[27][28] In direct response, the U.S. Libertarian Party was one of the first major parties to endorse cannabis legalization in their first platform in 1972 which stated, "We favor the repeal of all laws creating "crimes without victims" now incorporated in Federal, state and local laws—such as laws on voluntary sexual relations, drug use, gambling, and attempted suicide.

"[36] Peter Reuter, a professor at the School of Public Policy and the Department of Criminology at the University of Maryland, College Park, said that "experimenting with marijuana has long been a normal part of growing up in the U.S.; about half of the population born since 1960 has tried the drug by age 21.

In the 19th century scientist believed that using drugs like cannabis can prevent and cure diseases due to the plants therapeutic properties.

[44] Approximately 18 million adults, nearly a third of users aged 18 and older, have reported symptoms of cannabis use disorder, according to a data analysis by a Columbia University epidemiologist for The New York Times.

These estimates are based on the 2022 U.S. national drug use survey, which focused on individuals who reported cannabis consumption in the past year.

Wilson Compton, deputy director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, noted that this suggests that almost all daily users report problems related to their use, and that it is "a very clear warning sign."

It can lead to severe dehydration, seizures, kidney failure, and cardiac arrest, with at least eight reported deaths in the United States.

Researchers estimate that up to one-third of near-daily cannabis users in the U.S. may experience symptoms, ranging from mild to severe, affecting approximately six million people.

According to data from the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute, cannabis-related diagnoses among individuals under 65 with employer-paid insurance increased by over 50 percent nationwide between 2016 and 2022, rising from approximately 341,000 to 522,000.

[45] Since the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 classified marijuana as a Schedule I drug, until the passage of the 2018 United States farm bill, under federal law it was illegal to possess, use, buy, sell, or cultivate cannabis in all U.S. jurisdictions.

[47] In July 2009, Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, clarified the federal government's position when he stated that "marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit" and that "legalization is not in the president's vocabulary, and it's not in mine.

[51] In February 2014, the administration issued guidelines to banks for conducting transactions with legal marijuana sellers so these new businesses can stash away savings, make payroll, and pay taxes like any other enterprise.

[53] On August 29, 2013, the Justice Department adopted a new policy (known as the Cole memo) regarding the enforcement of federal law in states that have legalized non-medical cannabis.

[54] On December 11, 2014, the Department of Justice told U.S. attorneys to allow Native American tribes on reservations to grow and sell marijuana, even in states where it is illegal.

[55] On May 30, 2014, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment, prohibiting the Justice Department from spending funds to interfere with the implementation of state medical marijuana laws.

Many officials point to the difficulty of regulating dosage of cannabis (a problem for treatment as well as research), despite the availability (in Canada and the United Kingdom) of dosage-controlled Sativex.

[59] On December 20, 2018, President Donald Trump signed the farm bill which descheduled hemp, making cannabis under 0.3% THC legal once again.

[60] The law may have inadvertently allowed cultivation of hemp plants with high levels of delta-8-THC, which is also psychoactive and has since become more popular recreationally across the U.S.[61] In February 2019, three researchers used MedMen as a case study to illustrate their concerns with marijuana companies' marketing practices.

In June 2021, Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas stated that "A prohibition on interstate use or cultivation of marijuana may no longer be necessary or proper to support the federal government's piecemeal approach," criticizing "[t]he federal government's ... half-in, half-out regime that simultaneously tolerates and forbids local use of marijuana.

"[63] In 2022, President Joe Biden released a budget proposal that did not extend protections for states violating federal laws around marijuana.

It also did not give the District of Columbia permission to legalize, which drew mild surprise among political observers given the Democratic Party's support of D.C.

However, on January 12, 2024, the FDA announced its recommendation that marijuana be moved to a Schedule III drug, which is a much less strictly-regulated category and would acknowledge its potential for medical use.

Even fewer states mandate warnings regarding cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome or psychosis, and none are equipped to monitor or assess the full range of health outcomes related to cannabis use.

The CDC is urged to take a more active role in shaping cannabis policy, but additional funding would be required to implement these recommendations.

[9] Ten other states have more restrictive laws limiting THC content, for the purpose of allowing access to products that are rich in cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive component of cannabis.

[76] It was reported that in 2023 the states with marijuana legalized for personal consumption purposes generated around 4.2 billion in annual tax revenue.

[94] According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Uniform Crime Report, there have been over twelve million cannabis arrests in the U.S. since 1996, including 749,825 persons for marijuana violations in 2012.

[111] The 2017 Gallup poll showed a record high of 64% in favor of legalizing cannabis, including a majority of Republicans for the first time.

[112] In 2018, the same poll increased to an all-new high of 68%, showing that the great majority of Americans favored legalizing recreational marijuana.