WSJ Editorial: Marijuana Is a Failed Experiment

Editors see too many associated risks
Posted Oct 9, 2025 4:37 PM CDT
WSJ Editorial: It's Time to Rein In Marijuana Use
A marijuana plant awaits transplanting at the Hollingsworth Cannabis Company near Shelton, Wash., in this file photo.   (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

The conservative editorial page of the Wall Street Journal is out with a scathing piece about the continued push to normalize marijuana use. "How much social and public-health damage will Americans suffer before doing a U-turn on marijuana promotion?" it asks. The editorial cites a new study out of Montgomery, Ohio, showing that more than 4 in 10 drivers in fatal crashes tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, from 2019 through most of 2024. Of particular concern to the editors is the heightened potency of today's pot, along with growing evidence about associated health risks.

  • "The Ohio study, which is being presented this week at an American College of Surgeons conference, ought to prompt the Trump Administration to slam the brakes on a mooted plan to move marijuana to a less risky level on the federal drug schedule. Such a move would cultivate the spurious belief that marijuana isn't all that harmful despite reams of evidence to the contrary." Read the full editorial.

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