Marijuana’s Restrictive Federal Classification Isn’t Supported By Science, New Study Concludes

Marijuana and other drugs are not as dangerous as laws written half a century ago say they are, according to a new scientific review.

Since the passage of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in 1970, U.S. drug laws have been dictated by rigid categories that supposedly reflect the dangers posed by different substances—but the new study suggests that “drug policy contradicts expert assessments of drug harms” both in America and across the world.

The results indicate that governments’ legal rankings for substances bear little resemblance to what experts actually know about which drugs cause the most harm—something that cannabis consumers and much of the general public have long recognized.

Marijuana, for example, has been listed as a Schedule I drug in the U.S. for decades. While President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the attorney general to expeditiously complete the process of moving cannabis to a Schedule III substance last month, that has not yet occurred.

In the new paper published in the December 2025 issue of Harm Reduction Journal, a multidisciplinary panel of U.S. researchers, clinicians and people with lived experience of substance use found that federal drug policy is “poorly aligned with scientific evidence” and often contradicts expert assessments of risk.

To reach their conclusions, the researchers adapted a method known as multi-criteria decision analysis. Seventeen experts evaluated 19 commonly used drugs across 18 categories of harm, ranging from overdose death and long-term health damage to family disruption, crime and economic cost. Each drug was scored and weighted to produce an overall harm ranking.

The study—titled “US drug policy does not align with experts’ rankings of drug harms: a multi-criteria decision analysis”—also found that nearly all drugs were more harmful to the people who use them than to others, a result with significant policy implications. “An array of harm reduction strategies should be considered,” the authors argue, noting that punitive approaches have coincided with rising overdose deaths rather than declines in use.

The findings arrive at a moment when federal and state officials are reconsidering long-standing approaches to drug regulation, sentencing and public health response.

“For example, cannabis was rated as less harmful than its Schedule I status suggests.”

By placing cannabis in the most restrictive legal category—while ranking fentanyl lower in Schedule II and leaving alcohol outside the federal drug scheduling system entirely—U.S. policy has created a framework that the authors say no longer reflects either scientific consensus or actual risk to the population.

“Resources should be focused on health and wellness, not on incarceration,” they wrote.

Taken together, the study paints a picture of a drug policy frozen in time—one that treats substances like cannabis and psilocybin as major threats while failing to adequately respond to the substances doing the greatest damage. As fentanyl deaths climb and alcohol-related harms persist, the authors suggest that aligning law with evidence is no longer just an academic concern, but a public health imperative.

“Psilocybin and cannabis are associated with less harm than many other drugs and with potential medicinal benefits but people who use them remain subject to punishment in many jurisdictions.”

The researchers argue that evidence-based scheduling could support a shift away from punitive enforcement and toward targeted harm reduction, expanded treatment access and public health interventions, particularly for fentanyl and alcohol.

Noting that “fentanyl was deemed the most harmful drug,” they point to evidence supporting naloxone distribution, fentanyl test strips and supervised consumption sites.

Calling for further examination, the authors write that the research “provides a useful starting point for future work in the U.S. that could account for additional drugs, drug benefits, vulnerable subpopulations (e.g., youth), and various methods of use and routes of ingestion.”

“Collectively, this work can be used to advance scientific debate about the best ways to reduce harms to people who use drugs and to redress societal impacts at the same time.”

The study comes on the heels of the Trump administration backing away from a prior federal recommendation to limit alcohol consumption to specific amounts, even as marijuana remains federally criminalized and more Americans are choosing cannabis for personal health reasons.

More changes are also on the horizon. President Trump signed a bill into law last year containing provisions that would remove barriers to conducting research into the risks and benefits of marijuana, psychedelics and other Schedule I drugs.

USDA Study Shows Untapped Potential Of Hemp Roots In Pediatric Cancer Treatment

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is promoting a novel study suggesting that an often underutilized part of the hemp plant—its roots—may hold significant therapeutic potential, including in the treatment of pediatric cancer.

Government scientists at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) “redefined the value of roots in industrial hemp, providing new opportunities for industrial hemp growers and opening new avenues for pediatric cancer research,” the agency said in a press release this week.

The study, published in the Journal of Cannabis Research last year, discovered that there’s a component of hemp roots with four distinct compounds known as “neolignans” that scientists until now have not realized exist in the cannabis crop.

“We believe this new discovery offers industrial hemp growers a potential new revenue stream from a part of the plant that was previously overlooked,” Korey Brownstein, a research chemist at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, said.

“Unlike crops such as corn or soybeans, which have multiple uses, hemp has been limited in scope,” they said. “But if we treat hemp as a multi-use crop, we can expand its applications and market—paper, grain, fiber, and now, potentially, pharmaceutical compounds from the roots. The discovery of these compounds adds value to this commodity.”

While it’s well-known that hemp contains valuable properties as it relates to fibers and grains, as well as extracts like CBD, the roots of the crop “were not considered to hold significant value,” USDA said.

After identifying the unique chemical compound in the roots, however, researchers carried out a three-year study to determine whether there could be previously untapped utility in hemp. And working alongside scientists at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, they found the neolignans could have potential for pediatric cancer treatment.

Learn more about a groundbreaking study in which ARS scientists are redefining the value of roots in industrial hemp. Their research could provide new opportunities for industrial hemp growers and also open new avenues for pediatric cancer research. https://t.co/kQSlo5NsfUpic.twitter.com/ovbM3E5tzZ

— Agricultural Research Service (@USDA_ARS) January 14, 2026

Specifically, the researchers “found that these molecules showed moderate activity in killing pediatric cancer cells (cytotoxic effect) in the laboratory setting.”

“Refining and understanding the effect of this molecule on pediatric cancers will open new alternatives for children’s cancers that are unresponsive to current therapies,” USDA said, adding that this “marks the first time these specific neolignans have been isolated from hemp and linked to possessing cytotoxic effects on pediatric cancer cell lines.”

Further studies need to be conducted to validate the therapeutic efficacy of the hemp root compound, but Brownstein stressed that this could expand “the possibilities for using the whole industrial hemp plant.”

“By adding value to the roots, we’re giving farmers more stability and more reasons to invest in this emerging crop,” he said.

The study found that, of the four novel compounds that were tested, one in particular (M4) caused significant inhibition of cell survival in all four cancer cell lines in comparison to the control.”

“While our findings demonstrate the cytotoxic effects of hemp-derived compounds on multiple pediatric cancer cell lines, the underlying mechanisms driving these effects remain to be elucidated,” the researchers wrote. “Future studies will focus on detailed mechanistic investigations including cell cycle analysis, apoptosis and necrosis assays, and pathway-level interrogations to uncover the molecular basis of this cytotoxicity.”

“Though industrial hemp is more well-known for its cannabinoid content, it contains hundreds of other phytochemicals that may have uses in the functional food and pharmaceutical industry,” the study concluded. “Furthermore, utilizing each part of the hemp plant, including the roots, will reduce agricultural waste and provide additional value to growers.”

—Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.—

Meanwhile, another scientific review recently found that CBD “holds substantial promise as an anti-tumor agent” in addition to its other anti-inflammatory properties.

The study follows a series of encouraging discoveries related to the medical properties of cannabidiol.

In 2025, for example, a paper published in the journal Pharmacology & Therapeutics, assessed a range of clinical and preclinical findings that the efficacy of chemotherapy drugs can be enhanced by medical marijuana.

Also last year, a study found that “patients with cancer using cannabis report significant improvements in cancer-related symptoms.”

Photo courtesy of Max Jackson.

More Than A Third Of Rap And Hip Hop Music Videos Feature Marijuana, Government-Funded Study Shows

More than a third of popular U.S. hip hop and rap music videos referenced marijuana in 2024, according to a new government-supported study. Artists like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre have helped drive that trend by promoting a “chilled” lifestyle, the researchers said.

According to the analysis—which was funded by the Ministry of Justice and Health in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein—37 percent of U.S. hip hop and rap videos in from the 2024 YouTube top 100 charts featured cannabis references, while an additional 4 percent talk about both marijuana and nicotine.

That adds up to 41 percent of top videos in the genre embracing marijuana, contributing to the cultural normalization of the plant through art.

While 41 percent of hip hop and rap music videos talked about cannabis, the study from researchers at the German Institute for Therapy and Health Research found that only 2 percent songs in other genres originating U.S. mention marijuana.

“Cannabis has been firmly anchored in the US hip-hop scene since the 1990s and has been particularly influenced by artists from the American west coast,” the study, published in the journal Substance Use & Misuse, says. “Rappers such as Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and The Game in particular are inextricably associated with cannabis and convey a ‘chilled’ lifestyle.”

“Historically, cannabis has been embedded in American hip-hop culture through the Afro-Caribbean and African-American subculture and is favored by widespread legalization,” they said.

The study also looked at depictions of cannabis and nicotine in German music videos, finding that the U.S. trends were reversed there—with nicotine being more prevalent than marijuana in videos.

Hip hop and rap has helped inform culture and policy over the years, and it will come as no surprise that Snoop Dogg’s influence in the U.S. continues to play a role in the movement.

Weldon Angelos, a cannabis activist and music producer who’s worked with major industry figures like Snoop Dogg, told Marijuana Moment that “hip hop didn’t just reflect cannabis culture—it helped normalize it.”

“I was first exposed to marijuana through artists like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, and years later I ended up working alongside them in studios where cannabis was simply part of the creative process,” Angelos, who received a presidential pardon for a marijuana-related conviction during the first Trump administration, said.

“That visibility mattered because millions of people were watching and listening,” he said. “Long before the laws changed, hip hop helped shift public perception and move cannabis from something taboo into the mainstream—helping make reform possible.”

Beyond his hit songs like “Gin and Juice” that have become fixtures of cannabis music culture, Snoop has also been expanding his own cannabis enterprise over recent years. Last June, for example, the artist brought another direct-to-consumer hemp lifestyle platform to market under his Death Row Records label.

Snoop acquired the music label Death Row Records in 2022, and the cannabis icon has been leveraging that legacy platform to create an intersection between the culture and the plant.

In 2024, he also expanded his Smoke Weed Every Day (S.W.E.D.) brand with a separate direct-to-consumer retail platform selling hemp-derived cannabinoid products, smoking supplies and other merchandise.

That platform further acts as a directory for S.W.E.D.’s physical retail marijuana locations, including a Los Angeles dispensary and a coffeeshop in Amsterdam.

Late night host Jimmy Kimmel recognized Snoop’s cannabis legacy in 2023 when he declared the artist’s birthday, October 20, the “new high holiday” of DoggFather’s Day.

While he might be best known as a prolific consumer, Snoop has also advocated for reform, which includes calling for a policy change at the NBA so that players could freely use cannabis off the court.

He said last year that he supported the reform based on the “medical side of it, the health benefits and how it could actually help ease the opioids and all the pills that they’ve been given and the injections.”

Snoop has long been pushing athletics organizations to adopt lenient marijuana policies, often emphasizing that point that cannabis could serve as a less addictive and dangerous alternative to prescription opioids.

Meanwhile, underscoring an anecdotal observation common among cannabis consumers, a group of researchers in Canada released a study in 2024 indicating that marijuana can make music more enjoyable, concluding that “the impact of cannabis on the auditory experience may be overall enhanced” compared to sober listening.

A separate study published in 2021 explored the intersection of music and psilocybin-assisted therapy and undermined conventional wisdom that classical music is somehow more effective in that setting.

Image element courtesy of TechCrunch.