From: Cole Bennett
Columbus
President Trump delivered an early Christmas present to all you 420-friendly folks out there. Earlier this month, he signed an executive order reclassifying marijuana, which eases restrictions on research for medical use. The drug had previously been classified as what the feds call Schedule I, right up there with LSD and heroin. Now, weed is in the same category as Tylenol with codeine.
My historical hesitation with marijuana had to do with my upbringing. Coincidentally, I had just finished Rob DeSalle’s 2025 novel “Cannabis – A Natural History” earlier this month to grasp a better understanding of an issue I had only foundational knowledge.
It’s important to contrast Trump’s first term from the second. Trump One’s first two Attorneys Generals were strongly opposed to legalization (pg. 237). In Trump Two, the president appears to be shifting based on marijuana’s growing popularity, with over 60% of Americans believing pot should be legal in 2020 (pg. 258). As of 2025, 24 states have legalized recreational marijuana, and Indiana is not one of them. In August, Gov. Mike Braun signaled federal reclassification adds “a little more fuel to the fire” when it comes to legalization in the state. Locally, Republican State Rep. Jim Lucas filed a bill in January that would have legalized the use of medical marijuana, which failed to pass. Indiana AG Todd Rokita was not on board with the federal reclassification.
I understand now that my opposition to marijuana legalization had much to do with fear. And that’s not to say that there are no real dangers of using marijuana. DeSalle writes of a 2018 study out of Canada, which found an “increased risk of symptoms of schizophrenia or psychosis was linked to heavy use and even average use” (pg. 252). I have seen the horrors of severe mental illness such as schizophrenia in both my family and in my profession. If recreational use of marijuana is to become legalized in the Hoosier state, children need to be protected, and users need to know the risks. And no, I’m not advocating that all drugs become recreationally legal. The legal schedule of drugs should remain in place, but marijuana use is objectively not the same as LSD or heroin.
Ultimately, drug use is a choice. Drunk driving has taken countless lives; however, booze remains legal. Governments regulate its use, set consequences for driving under the influence, and tax it to fund rehabilitation programs. With marijuana’s popularity today, Hoosiers will get their hands on it one way or another, often by driving to another state. In Indiana, folks are at risk of buying weed off the street that may be laced with deadly drugs such as fentanyl – and that unfortunately includes our children.
The choice before legislators is between transparency and the black market. At the very least, reclassifying marijuana will give legislators more evidence of the risks and benefits so that policy is based on science and morals, not just emotion and fear.
