The Republican governor of Indiana says that, if President Donald Trump moves forward on federally rescheduling marijuana, the national reform could add “a little bit of fire” to the local push for cannabis legalization in his state.

But at the same time, a GOP U.S. senator who represents Indiana is doubling down on his opposition to reform.

Gov. Mike Braun (R)—who said earlier this year that he’s “amenable” to medical cannabis legalization, while expressing reservations about broader reform—said during a news conference on Tuesday that he thinks rescheduling under the Trump administration could move the needle in Indiana’s conservative legislature.

“I think you can kind of extrapolate what’s happened over the last five to seven years if you’re going to want to try to gauge what may happen over the next few years,” Braun said, as The Indianapolis Star reported. “So I think [Trump’s comment] probably adds a little more fuel to the fire in terms of the speed with which it might occur.”

The president didn’t explicitly say he intends to direct a reclassification of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) at a press conference on Monday—but he acknowledged the need for a review and said a decision would be made in the coming weeks.

On the campaign trail, Trump did endorse rescheduling, as well as cannabis industry banking access and a Florida legalization ballot initiative, but this marked the first time he’s publicly spoken about the issue since taking office in January.

Getting legalization enacted in Indiana would be a tall task, as GOP leadership in the legislature has made clear it’s not interested in ending prohibition altogether.

And one member of the state’s congressional delegation, Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), expressed opposition to the state-level reform following Trump’s remarks.

“President Trump has been honest about it, that when it comes to marijuana, he said very clearly we shouldn’t smell it on the streets. You have a lot of states that have legalized it. It’s caused even more crime and issues,” Banks said. “I hope Indiana is never a state that legalizes marijuana, by the way.”

The senator acknowledged that there is likely to be “further conversation” about the issue.

“I know at the Statehouse there’s been conversation about legalizing marijuana in the state of Indiana,” he said. “I hope that doesn’t happen.”

The governor, for his part, hasn’t entirely ruled out the idea of adult-use legalization.

“When it comes to recreational, I’ve been clear that that has a need for further discussion. We see in some states they’ve not been happy with the results of it,” he said in January.

He also pointed out that Indiana is “now surrounded by four states, at least two of which have the entire spectrum legalized when it comes to recreational.”

Braun has previously said that “it’s probably time” to allow access to therapeutic cannabis among patients in the state. Those comments came alongside a poll indicating that nearly 9 in 10 Indiana adults (87 percent) support marijuana legalization.

Top Republicans in the legislature, however, have openly opposed marijuana reform.

“It’s no secret that I am not for this,” Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R) said during a panel at a law firm event in Indianapolis in December. “I don’t have people coming to me with really compelling medical cases as to why it’s so beneficial. And any state that I’ve seen pass medical marijuana is essentially passing recreational marijuana.”

House Speaker Todd Huston (R), meanwhile, doubted any medical benefits associated with marijuana, calling the substance “a deterrent to mental health.” He and others suggested that lawmakers supportive of the reform merely want to boost state revenue.

When Senate Minority Leader Greg Taylor (D) said he felt Indiana was in fact falling behind other nearby states that have already legalized medical marijuana, Huston shot back: “If we are behind on having fewer people using an addictive substance, I don’t know, I’m OK with that.”

A number of marijuana reform bills have been introduced for the 2025 session, including one—from Reps. Jim Lucas (R) and Shane Lindauer (R)—that would legalize medical marijuana for people with “serious medical conditions as determined by their physician.”

For what it’s worth, a former GOP congressman who Trump initially nominated to serve as U.S. attorney general during the current term is renewing his call for marijuana rescheduling—saying the “game is over for Democrats at the ballot box” if the president moves forward on the reform.

Under the rescheduling proposal that was initiated under the Biden administration and now sits before the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), marijuana would be moved to Schedule III of the CSA. That wouldn’t federally legalize the plant, but it would free up licensed cannabis retailers to access banking services and help facilitate research.

Meanwhile, following the president’s announcement about his intention to make a decision of cannabis rescheduling within weeks, bipartisan congressional lawmakers are urging Trump to get the job done.

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Separately, a new political committee that shares the same treasurer as Trump’s own super PAC is pushing the president to follow through on rescheduling marijuana, releasing an ad that highlights his previous endorsement of the reform on the campaign trail.

The treasurer of the PAC, Charles Gantt, is the same person named as treasurer of Trump’s political committee, MAGA Inc., which recently reported receiving $1 million from a marijuana industry PAC that’s supported by multiple major cannabis companies.

That committee, the American Rights and Reform PAC, separately released ads in May that attacked former President Joe Biden’s marijuana policy record in an apparent attempt to push Trump to go further on the issue.

Separately, a post that recently circulated on social media appears to show that MAGA Inc., which is also referred to as also called Make America Great Again Inc., itself created an ad that touts Trump’s support for “commonsense reform” such as removing cannabis from Schedule I of the CSA and letting states set their own policies.

The ad ends with the narrator saying “Donald Trump for president,” however, indicating that it may have been prepared prior to the 2024 election.

The owner of the major gardening supply company Scotts Miracle-Gro recently said Trump has told him directly “multiple times” since taking office that he intends to see through the marijuana rescheduling process.

Trump’s former acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) also recently predicted that the administration will soon “dig in” to the state-federal marijuana policy conflict, emphasizing the need to “eliminate confusion, not create it” amid the rescheduling push.

Meanwhile, Terrence Cole, who was sworn in last month as the new administrator of the DEA, declined to include rescheduling on a list of “strategic priorities” the agency that instead focused on anti-trafficking enforcement, Mexican cartels, the fentanyl supply chain, drug-fueled violence, cryptocurrency, the dark web and a host of other matters.

That’s despite the fact that Cole said during a confirmation hearing in April that examining the government’s pending marijuana rescheduling proposal would be “one of my first priorities” after taking office.

Last week, former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer predicted that Trump would not legalize marijuana, though that is a separate issue from the current rescheduling proposal under consideration.

Meanwhile, a strategic consulting and research firm associated with Trump—Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, LLC—conducted a survey of registered voters that showed a majority of Republicans back a variety of cannabis reforms.

Meanwhile in Indiana, a state-created study committee in 2023 recommended that lawmakers authorize a psilocybin pilot program to research psychedelic-assisted therapy for mental health during this year’s legislative session, advising that “the Indiana General Assembly take an approach that strikes a balance between access, research, and prudence.”

Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.

“Of all the events we examined, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the justice system the most, more so than any legislation.”

By Mia Maldonado, Oregon Capital Chronicle

For years, critics have blamed Oregon’s 2020 ballot measure that decriminalized possession of small amounts of drugs for the state’s rising crime and overdose rates. But a new study suggests otherwise.

Researchers from Portland State University’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice released their final report examining the impacts of years of major drug policy changes between 2008 and 2024 on crime and drug-related deaths. The report, created in partnership with the National Institute of Justice, finds little evidence to support claims that Oregon’s drug decriminalization policy caused higher crime and overdose deaths.

“In the lead-up to HB 4002, many claimed that Measure 110 was responsible for rising crime and overdose deaths. However, our findings offer little to no support for those claims.”

The report outlines a decade of Oregon’s drug policy reforms, starting in 2013 when Oregon enacted a law reducing mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana and diverted more drug offenses to probation. Then in 2017, lawmakers passed a law to reclassify moderate drug possession felony offenses to misdemeanors for Schedule 1 or 2 drugs, such as heroin and cocaine.

Finally, in November 2020, Oregon voters passed Measure 110, which decriminalized possession of small amounts of drugs, such as methamphetamine and fentanyl. The policy took effect in 2021, downgrading misdemeanor charges to a violation punishable with a $100 fine.

“Oregon’s drug policy shifts, including defelonization (2017) and decriminalization (2021), had no significant, sustained effects on property or violent crime rates.”

Researchers found no evidence linking the measure to increased crime or drug deaths. Instead, the study found the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of fentanyl were the main drivers behind the rise in crime rates and drug-related deaths.

“Of all the events we examined, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the justice system the most, more so than any legislation,” Brian Renauer, a lead researcher and university professor, said in a news release.

Overdose deaths were rising before Oregon decriminalized drugs

In 2020, there were 816 overdose deaths in Oregon—about 200 more than the previous year. That number more than doubled and peaked in 2023 at 1,833 overdose deaths.

Lawmakers anticipating a citizen-led initiative to repeal Measure 110 effectively ended the drug decriminalization experiment, when overdose deaths had already begun to decline. There were 1,480 recorded overdose deaths in 2024.

“The rise in overdose deaths was driven primarily by the COVID19 pandemic and the proliferation of fentanyl, rather than specific drug policy changes.”

Since the new law took effect in September, people caught with small amounts of drugs can once again be arrested and face criminal charges. But they can avoid charges by entering a deflection program and receiving treatment.

Christopher Campbell, a lead researcher and associate professor at the university, said that while Measure 110 had its flaws and regional impacts, crime trends statewide were stable or declining by 2023.

“What we observed was far from a causal connection to Measure 110,” Campbell said. “Rather, we saw an unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and fentanyl on public health and safety outcomes.”

This story was first published by Oregon Capital Chronicle.

Do you know your “drug slangs”? The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has a quiz to put that to the test.

As part of its efforts to raise awareness about drug culture—with sometimes mixed reviews from those who actually consume controlled substances—DEA recently put out a five-question quiz to assess people’s drug lexicons.

“If you hear that a young person is trying to buy some ‘smack,’ would you recognize the slang for heroin?” the agency asked. “Drug traffickers and users adopt different words to hide the fact that they are talking about illegal drugs.”

Not unlike its drug emoji guide that DEA again recently recirculated, the test makes several claims about the terminology used by consumers and sellers that might give those populations pause.

Asked to identify an incorrect slang term for marijuana, the agency provided four options: dope, hyrdo, arnolds and skunk. While outmoded in most contemporary circles, the answer is “anrolds,” which DEA said is slang for steroids.

The next question concerns fentanyl, with DEA inquiring which of these four terms—jackpot, squirrel, dragon or rainbow—is a reference to the potent opioid. (The answer, according to DEA, is “jackpot.)

“Other fentanyl slang include: Apache, China Girl, China Town, Dance Fever, Friend, Goodfellas, Great Bear, He-Man, King Ivory, Murder 8, and Tango & Cash,” it said.

“Methamphetamine is referred to with all of the following slang terms except: chalk, blue diamond, speed or yellow bam,” another question poses. Here, DEA said the answer is blue diamond.

The next question is about which “weather phenomenon” is used to refer to cocaine. This one likely won’t throw most for a loop, as it’s commonly understood that cocaine is often called “snow,” as opposed to DEA’s other options of “thunder,” “hurricane” and “hail.”

Here’s the last question: “Which of the following, seemingly harmless terms, is slang for ecstasy/MDMA (Molly)? Space Bunny, Disco Biscuit, Rollercoaster or Beach Ball.”

The answer here is “Disco Biscuit.”

“In addition, ecstasy can be called: Adam, Beans, Clarity, E, Eve, Go, Hug Drug, Lover’s Speed, Peace, STP, X, and XTC,” DEA said.

The promotion of the quiz comes days after DEA market “World Emoji Day” by again promoting its guide to “decode” symbols that it claims are associated with illegal drug use and sales.

DEA’s emoji decoding guide has been around, and somewhat updated, since 2021, drawing some criticism from consumers who’ve questioned the credibility of the agency’s interpretation of how people communicate about drugs in texts and social media.

DEA, which is currently involved in a process to consider rescheduling marijuana—has long been considered out of touch with youth culture as it concerns drug use and sales. And it’s been partnering with other anti-drug groups recently that hasn’t done much to disabuse the public of that perception.

For instance, to mark “National Prevention Week,” DEA promoted a campaign in May that encourages people to share memes with dubious claims about the effects of cannabis—including the theory that it is a “gateway drug” to using other substances.

In 2023, DEA also advised young people that, rather than doing drugs, they should focus on becoming Instagram influencers. The agency promoted tips on how to get a “natural high” as an alternative to drugs, sharing what it said were “7 Better Highs” such as becoming famous on Instagram, playing video games and going to a pet store to look at animals.

Beyond its youth prevention outreach efforts, DEA is considering a proposal to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

President Donald Trump said this week that his administration will decide soon on the marijuana rescheduling proposal.

The DEA judge overseeing the process retired effective August 1, however, leaving the rescheduling-related decisions to the newly confirmed DEA administrator, Terrance Cole, who declined to put cannabis reform in his agency’s initial list of priorities despite telling senators it would be among the top items on his agenda.

Ahead of Cole’s swearing-in last month, the Senate a day earlier gave final approval to the Trump nominee. Almost immediately afterward, a major marijuana industry association renewed the push to make progress on the long-stalled federal cannabis rescheduling process.

In May, a Senate committee advanced the nomination of Cole to become DEA administrator amid the ongoing review of the marijuana rescheduling proposal that he has so far refused to commit to enacting.

Cole—who has previously voiced concerns about the dangers of marijuana and linked its use to higher suicide risk among youth—said in response to senators’ written questions at the time that he would “give the matter careful consideration after consulting with appropriate personnel within the Drug Enforcement Administration, familiarizing myself with the current status of the regulatory process, and reviewing all relevant information.”

Photo courtesy of Martin Alonso.