Has the Trump administration staked out a paradoxical position on illegal drugs?

On December 15, President Trump issued an executive order declaring illicit fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction. With that declaration, the administration elevated fentanyl from a public health crisis to a national security threat — opening the door to expanded military engagement against drug traffickers and transnational cartels.

That designation is not without justification. Over the last five years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked illicit fentanyl and related synthetic opioids to more than 300,000 American deaths. A CDC-cited analysis estimates the annual societal cost of illegal opioid use exceeds one trillion dollars, factoring in health care, lost productivity, criminal justice costs, and premature death. Few threats have inflicted this level of devastation. 

Yet just three days later, on December 18, the president signed another executive order reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III. While the move stops short of full decriminalization, it significantly loosens federal restrictions, reduces criminal penalties, and opens the door for banks and investors to more freely participate in the so-called medicinal cannabis industry. Wall Street reacted immediately — cannabis stocks surged following the announcement.

This shift did not occur without warning. Prior to the order, nearly two dozen members of Congress urged the president not to move marijuana toward decriminalization. Several signatories were physicians. Their argument was direct: Schedule I drugs are addictive and lack accepted medical value, and marijuana, they said, still fits that definition.

Their concerns are supported by extensive research. A major review by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found substantial evidence that cannabis use increases the risk of developing other substance use disorders. For many users — especially adolescents — marijuana functions as a gateway drug, increasing for some the path to harder drugs, addictions fueling the demand that is at the core of the fentanyl crisis.

Compounding the risk is the dramatic change in the drug itself. Today’s marijuana averages four to five times the THC concentration of cannabis from the 1970s, undercutting claims that modern use is comparable to past recreational use. Studies also show adolescent cannabis use is linked to permanent IQ loss and altered brain development, particularly in areas governing impulse control, judgment, and risk assessment.

The real-world consequences are already visible. States like Colorado that have legalized marijuana have seen increases in traffic fatalities involving drivers testing positive for THC. Emergency room visits tied to marijuana have also risen, especially for acute anxiety, paranoia, and psychotic episodes. And legalization has not eliminated criminal activity. According to DEA reporting, major drug cartels remain deeply involved in marijuana trafficking — even in states with legalized markets — supplying untaxed and unregulated demand while using cannabis profits to fund broader criminal operations.

The administration’s drug policy is incoherent.

The federal government is waging a shooting war against drug traffickers in the Caribbean while simultaneously decriminalizing marijuana and normalizing its use at home. You cannot tell our troops these substances are dangerous enough to light up drug boats with missile strikes, while suggesting to teenagers that lighting up a joint in the backyard is no big deal. That contradiction isn’t just confusing — it’s dangerous.