Charlie Kirk urges Trump to reconsider reclassifying marijuana: 'Protect public spaces for kids'



President Donald Trump reportedly told attendees at a $1 million-a-plate fundraiser in New Jersey earlier this month that he was contemplating reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act. He has since confirmed that the reclassification is on the table.

One of Trump's most outspoken supporters has expressed hope that the president will ultimately decide against easing restrictions on cannabis.

Pro

Since 1970, cannabis has been listed as a Schedule I drug, a category of drugs the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration claims "have a high potential for abuse and the potential to create severe psychological and/or physical dependence" as well as "no currently accepted medical use."

The Wall Street Journal indicated that the fundraiser conversation earlier this month was "part of a campaign by cannabis companies to persuade Trump to pick up where the Biden team left off and reclassify the drug" to a Schedule III substance, which would mean not only fewer federal restrictions but also big tax breaks for marijuana companies.

Among those reportedly in attendance at the fundraiser were Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla; cryptocurrency executives; political advisers close to the president; and Kim Rivers, the CEO of the marijuana giant Trulieve, which donated $750,000 to Trump's inauguration.

Unnamed individuals who attended the fundraiser told the Journal that when Rivers personally encouraged Trump to reclassify the drug, the president flagged the matter for those staff members present.

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LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images

The matter of reclassification has evidently been on Trump's radar for some time.

ScottsMiracle-Gro CEO James Hagedorn told Fox Business last week that Trump has told him and others "multiple times" that he will reclassify marijuana.

When Trump threw his support last year behind an unsuccessful Florida constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older, the then-candidate vowed that if re-elected, he would "continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug."

After he announced the federalization of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Trump was asked to square his crackdown on crime and drugs with the reports that he might soon reclassify marijuana.

'Any cannabis use is associated with a 40% increased risk of psychosis.'

Trump said, "We're looking at it. Some people like it. Some people hate it. Some people hate the whole concept of marijuana because ... it does bad for the children, it does bad for people that are older than children. But we're looking at reclassification, and we'll make a determination over the ... next few weeks."

The president noted that it is a "very complicated subject" and that he has heard "great things having to do with medical" and "bad things having to do with just about everything else."

Con

Trump ally and Turning Point USA CEO Charlie Kirk wrote in response to the Journal's report, "I hope this doesn't happen."

"We need to protect public spaces for kids. Everything already smells like weed, which is ridiculous," continued Kirk, who questioned the value of legalizing marijuana and raised concern over the drug's significant increase in potency during his April interview with liberal polemicist Bill Maher.

"Let's make it harder to ruin public spaces, not easier," added Kirk.

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Kirk is not alone in hoping that Trump will decide against reclassification.

Luke Niforatos, executive vice president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, told Blaze News, "President Trump said today that he has heard a lot of bad things about marijuana. And for good reason."

"Rescheduling marijuana will mean more crime, more homelessness, and more destruction of mental health," continued Niforatos. "We need a strong generation of Americans. Rescheduling marijuana gives the Big Weed oligarchy a multibillion-dollar tax break so they can peddle more high-octane THC products that give our kids and our young adults schizophrenia and other forms of mental illness."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly three in 10 people who consume cannabis have cannabis use disorder, which manifests in part as craving cannabis; trying but proving unable to quit using cannabis; using cannabis even though it causes problems at home, work, or school; using cannabis in high-risk situations; and using increasing amounts of the drug to achieve the same high.

The Canadian government, which legalized marijuana nationwide in 2018, claims that "any cannabis use is associated with a 40% increased risk of psychosis" and "earlier-onset cannabis use is associated with an increased risk of earlier-onset psychosis, with cannabis users under the age of 16 at greater risk of developing psychosis or schizophrenia."

Cannabis use has been linked to other health conditions besides dependency and psychosis.

'States that have legalized the drug have launched a panoply of cartel violence.'

For instance, a systematic review published on May 5 in JAMA concluded with moderate confidence on the basis of 51 studies with over 21.1 million participants that cannabis use during pregnancy can result in early births, low birth weights, and unusually small babies.

Blaze News previously reported that the review also indicated significantly increased odds of miscarriages.

Paul Larkin, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, recently argued in JAMA Psychiatry against the Biden Department of Health and Human Services' 2023 recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration that it reclassify cannabis as a Schedule III drug.

Larkin and Dr. Bertha Madras noted that HHS failed to properly address the adverse effects of cannabis use such as the high prevalence of cannabis use disorder among users and the mounting evidence linking marijuana use to psychosis.

They also noted that "there is no medical consensus that cannabis is a legitimate medical treatment" and that "the evidence supporting generic 'cannabis' as a treatment for medical conditions remains either low quality or nonexistent."

When pressed for comment, HHS told Blaze News, "HHS continues to follow gold-standard science when determining the safety and efficacy of drugs."

"The president should consider that no major law enforcement or medical association supports scheduling marijuana down to III, because it is a public safety and public health nightmare," Niforatos told Blaze News.

"States that have legalized the drug have launched a panoply of cartel violence, Chinese CCP influence, and mental health carnage. Rescheduling marijuana gives a gigantic financial reward in the form of a tax break to cartels and the giant marijuana operators, like Glass House, the marijuana company ICE recently raided," added Niforatos.

Marijuana has been legalized for medical use in 48 states plus the District of Columbia and legalized for recreational purposes in at least 24 states — a push aided by the drug's normalization in and by the media.

Gallup revealed in November that the number of Americans who reported smoking marijuana had more than doubled since 2013, up to 15% from 7%. Whereas only 4% of respondents polled in 1969 reported trying marijuana, 47% of respondents reported trying the drug when asked last year.

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McGregor’s cocaine confession: A shocking twist in his legal battle



Renowned MMA fighter Conor McGregor has found himself in some serious trouble.

Not only is the former UFC two-division champion facing a civil lawsuit in Dublin’s high court over a 2018 sexual assault complaint after local prosecutors decided not to press criminal charges — he has now added drug use to his criminal resume.

In court, McGregor admitted to using cocaine and confirmed having a bag of the drug on the night of the alleged incident.

While McGregor claims that the sexual act with the plaintiff was consensual, a civil court jury awarded the woman nearly 250,000 euros, which is $257,000, for the alleged assault.


Now, the question remains as to whether or not McGregor’s career is going to take a hit from this.

“Joe Rogan basically said, ‘I don’t know that Conor is ever going to fight again,’” Hilary Kennedy of “4-Minute Buzz” tells Pat Gray of “Pat Gray Unleashed.” “He said because he’s using cocaine. He said a lot of fighters, especially towards the end of their careers, turn to drugs.”

However, Rogan may be wrong.

“This morning I saw the headline, ‘Conor McGregor confirms huge boxing fight against Logan Paul and reveals UFC comeback is on after civil rape case,’” Kennedy explains, adding, “He’s going to fight Logan Paul in India. So we’ll see.”

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Elon Musk bashes Wall Street Journal over hit piece intimating link between drug use and his 'contrarian views'



The Wall Street Journal targeted South African billionaire Elon Musk with a hit piece over the weekend, casting doubt on the world's richest man's competency and corporate compliance in light of allegations about his supposed drug use.

In his characteristic "contrarian" and "unfiltered" style — which the Journal insinuated might have something to do with drugs — Musk responded by belittling the publication and suggesting its effort was yet another attempt to "destroy X."

Through the grapevine

The Journal's Emily Glazer, working in conjunction with Kirsten Grind and a handful of unnamed editors, advanced the notion in a Jan. 6 article that "[i]n recent years, some executives and board members at his companies and others close to the billionaire have developed a persistent concern" that drugs are fueling Musk's "contrarian views, unfiltered speech and provocative antics."

"The world's wealthiest person has used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms, often at private parties around the world, where attendees sign nondisclosure agreements or give up their phones to enter, according to people who have witnessed his drug use and others with knowledge of it," said the article.

The Journal suggested that even if the alleged ongoing use of illicit drugs doesn't affect his health, "it could damage his business."

"Illegal drug use would likely be a violation of federal policies that could jeopardize SpaceX's billions of dollars in government contracts," said the article. "Musk is intrinsic to the value of his companies, potentially putting at risk around $1 trillion in assets held by investors, tens of thousands of jobs and big parts of the U.S. space program."

Besides Musk's consumption of cannabis on Joe Rogan's podcast and possible prescribed use of ketamine for depression, the Journal presented a number of incidents in which Musk may have been chemically compromised, such as when he gave a supposedly rambling speech at a SpaceX company event in 2017; when he tweeted about taking Tesla private the following year; and when he gave a heartfelt New York Times interview wherein Musk choked up, saying, "This past year has been the most difficult and painful year of my career."

Unlike the smoking incident on the Rogan podcast, which reportedly prompted random drug testing at SpaceX for at least a year, there does not appear to be any certifiable evidence or admission of drug use on the occasions referenced in the article. That has not, however, stopped anonymous sources from speculating.

"One former Tesla director, Linda Johnson Rice, grew so frustrated with Musk's volatile behavior and her concerns about his drug consumption that she didn't stand for re-election to the electric-car company's board in 2019, according to people familiar with the matter," said the article.

Rice had joined the board after Musk stood down as chairman as part of his $20 million settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Tesla indicated that former Adweek DEI councilor Linda Johnson Rice's 2019 decision not to seek re-election was "part of a move to improve corporate governance of the electric car company," reported the New York Times.

Musk said of her departure Monday, "She served her term and that was it. No negativity at all with Linda!"

The Journal also referenced vague gossip about current Tesla board chair Robyn Denholm, suggesting she went to Musk's brother with concerns over the billionaire's behavior "without using the word 'drugs.'"

While the Journal made passing mention of the possibilities that Musk might alternatively suffer sleep deprivation, Asperger's, and/or bipolar disorder — all three of which he has laid claim to — it did not admit the possibility that the billionaire has come honestly by a worldview and style that is unfavorable to leftists and establishmentarians alike.

Extra to the presumption there must be an external cause for Musk's personality, the Journal also appeared confident that contra Musk's "unusual behavior," there is a standard of behavior to be expected of a multi-billionaire father of 11 who simultaneously oversees six major companies, including X, The Boring Co., Neuralink, and a new artificial intelligence outfit, xAI.

Musk's usual responses

Following the release of the article, Musk lashed out in a series of tweets.

"TMZ has vastly higher standards than the WSJ (actually)," he wrote in one instance. In another he stressed, "WSJ is trash."

One X user suggested that attacks on X by traditional media outfits will grow more frequent as they feel increasingly threatened by the platform. Musk responded, "To be expected. They will stop at nothing to destroy X."

The Journal's apparent effort to paint Musk as instable comes amidst the billionaire's fight with Media Matters, a George Soros-funded leftist group reportedly backed by Democratic megadonors that has targeted the X platform's advertising revenue ever since Musk took over.

When another X user highlighted how European media was playing up the drug scandal, Musk replied, "If drugs actually helped improve my net productivity over time, I would definitely take them!"

Concerning his consumption of marijuana on the "Joe Rogan Experience," Musk further indicated, "After that one puff with Rogan, I agreed, at NASA's request, to do 3 years of random drug testing. Not even trace quantities were found of any drugs or alcohol. @WSJ is not fit to line a parrot cage for bird [excrement]."

— (@)

An attorney for Musk, Alex Spiro, told the Journal that Musk is "regularly and randomly drug tested at SpaceX and has never failed a test."

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Marijuana & hallucinogen use at all-time high among young adults, teen drug use at all-time low



Drug use fell significantly among teenagers last year while rising among young adults, according to surveys out of the University of Michigan. The drop in teenage drug use was the largest ever recorded in the 46 years since the Monitoring the Future (MTF) Study began surveying high school students.

The surveys show that "marijuana and hallucinogen use in the past year reported by young adults 19 to 30 years old increased significantly in 2021 compared to five and 10 years ago, reaching historic highs in this age group since 1988."

Researchers also found that “the percentage of youth who had ever used any illicit drug other than marijuana decreased by more than 25% in 2021. Specifically, in 12th grade this percentage was 27% smaller in comparison to the previous year, in 10th grade the decline was 31%, and in 8th grade the drop was 30%.”

A research team of professors at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research has conducted annual surveys of students in grades 8, 10, and 12 since 1975. The survey, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, has included young adults 19 to 30 years old since 1988. Participants self-report their drug use behaviors across three time periods — lifetime, past year (12 months), and past month (30 days).

Richard Miech, the principal investigator of the study and a research professor at the Institute for Social Research, attributed those drops to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Among the many disruptions adolescents have experienced as a result of the pandemic are disruptions in their ability to get drugs, disruptions in their ability to use drugs outside of parental supervision, and disruptions in peer groups that encourage drug use," Miech said. "As a result, this year, it appears that a sizable portion of adolescents have not used drugs who otherwise may have done so."

Reason disputes this proposed causation, noting that “the pandemic does not explain why past-month psychedelic use rose slightly or remained about the same among teenagers in 2020, when more schools were closed than in 2021. Nor does it explain the long-term decline in adolescent marijuana use.”

The MTF study also collected data on drug use reported by adults 35 to 50 years old, college/non-college young adults, and various other demographic groups.

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