The newly released National Drug Control Strategy (NDCS), produced by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, sounded the alarm about the proliferation of high-potency marijuana products and their associated harms–even as the wider administration has taken steps to profoundly normalize the drug and open the door to significant further commercialization.
The NDCS explained: “The commercialization of marijuana plays a role in the normalization of use, increases access to it, and decreases perception of risk of harm among youth. Marijuana products are today of unprecedented high potency, are often highly processed, aggressively advertised, and often packaged to appeal to minors.”
These trends are the result of the state-level legalization of marijuana, which began as a grassroots effort among progressives that was quickly co-opted by the for-profit industry that it created. The industry is producing and promoting ever-stronger products. The marijuana industry is working to normalize marijuana use and reduce its perceived harms, like how the tobacco and alcohol industries manage their products.
In turn, the industry has been driving a concerning increase in marijuana use disorder, better known as addiction to marijuana. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of Americans aged 12 or older with a marijuana use disorder increased from 16.7 million to 20.6 million. Through another lens, these individuals, who likely use marijuana on a near-daily basis, are the industry’s most profitable customers.
Given that there is no FDA-approved treatment for marijuana use disorder––like how methadone is approved for opioid use disorder––the NDCS announced that the administration will support an emerging treatment approach known as contingency management. Contingency management, which is also a potential treatment for stimulant use disorder, motivates individuals to be drug-free by providing small, recurring incentives (e.g., a $10 gift card for each drug-free urine test).
At the same time, the NDCS warned that criminal organizations “exploit state-level marijuana laws to establish large-scale illicit cultivation and interstate distribution networks.” This is because legalization gives cover to illicit operators to produce and sell marijuana, as seen in states like California, Oregon, and Maine. The NDCS added that many of these criminal organizations have ties to China.
The NDCS concluded with an epilogue dedicated to those who have been lost to drugs, acknowledging those whose “futures were stolen by drug-induced psychosis and suicide linked to high-potency marijuana.”