Eagle Forum of Alabama Responds to President Trump’s Decision to Reschedule Marijuana
“We urge President Trump to keep his promise to put American families first and truly Make America Great Again by enforcing current drug laws and protecting our communities”
From Eagle Forum of Alabama
Wetumpka, AL — Eagle Forum of Alabama expresses deep disappointment over President Donald Trump’s decision to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance under federal law. While the administration has stressed its commitment to law and order, this policy shift threatens to undermine that message and risks accelerating the public health, safety, and societal harms already being seen in states with expanded marijuana access.
President Trump rightfully criticized the Biden Administration for failing to enforce immigration laws and praised the renewed commitment to restoring order at the border. The same commitment to enforcement must apply to federal drug laws. Reclassification must not become a doorway to full commercialization, normalization, and promotion of a drug that research continues to link to mental illness, addiction, impaired driving, and youth harm.
Rescheduling Marijuana to Schedule III Will:
Eliminate critical federal worker safety protections
Currently, the Department of Transportation requires federal workers in safety-sensitive jobs—including airline pilots, commercial drivers, and others responsible for public safety—to undergo mandatory marijuana testing. If marijuana is classified as a Schedule III substance, HHS is no longer required to enforce these protections, and DOT would be forced to stop requiring them immediately.
Because Schedule III drugs are considered to have recognized “medical use,” employees who test positive will also gain legal protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act, making it much harder for employers to terminate impaired workers. This creates an unprecedented risk to public safety.
Hand billions in tax breaks to Big Marijuana
Rescheduling would allow marijuana corporations to access lucrative federal tax deductions for business operations, facility construction, payroll, and even advertising that targets youth. The marijuana industry stands to gain an estimated $2 billion annually in federal tax relief — directly strengthening an industry that profits from addiction.
Empower foreign criminal influence — including Chinese-linked marijuana operations
Chinese transnational criminal groups already control numerous illegal and legal marijuana growing operations in the United States. Rescheduling would make it easier for these entities to expand business operations, secure financial incentives, and normalize their presence.
Downplay real health dangers and normalize youth risk
Rescheduling falsely signals that marijuana is safe, despite mounting evidence of harm. Emergency room visits among children who accidentally ingest edibles continue to rise. Young adults areexperiencing skyrocketing rates of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), psychosis, and mental health crises linked to marijuana use. Instead of warning families, this policy will minimize risk in the public’s eyes.
The Administration’s claim that reclassification is necessary to enable research is misleading, as marijuana is already one of the most studied substances in the world, with more than 4,000 scientific papers published each year. Recent research continues to confirm strong links between cannabis use disorder and increased rates of schizophrenia, psychosis, and suicide.
The administration must pair research with robust law enforcement and strong protections for families, children, and communities. Anything less invites the failures we have witnessed in places like California, Colorado, and Florida, where marijuana commercialization has brought addiction, black-market expansion, crime escalation, and devastating consequences for young people.
Eagle Forum of Alabama calls on President Trump to take decisive action to safeguard the nation:
• Shut down all recreational marijuana programs nationwide
• Hold states accountable and liable for health and societal harms
• Place all “medical marijuana” programs under immediate FDA oversight and review
• Enforce existing federal drug laws consistently and unapologetically
We also invite President Trump and federal leadership—including HHS, FDA, and CMS—to study the safeguards Alabama has implemented thanks to Eagle Forum of Alabama’s leadership. While we believe marijuana continues to fail the test of credible medical evidence, Alabama maintains the strongest program regulations in the nation, proving that patient protection and public safety must come first.
Alabama does not want to become the next failed marijuana experiment. We urge President Trump to keep his promise to put American families first and truly Make America Great Again by enforcing current drug laws and protecting our communities.
Eagle Forum of Alabama will continue to advocate for strong drug policy, protection of children, and evidence-based governance grounded in safety, morality, and common sense.
About Eagle Forum of Alabama
Eagle Forum of Alabama is a statewide grassroots organization dedicated to preserving faith, family, and freedom through education, advocacy, and principled leadership
