Federal officials are calling marijuana a “deadly” drug—touting their efforts to seize it and other illegal substances—while also warning that possessing cannabis, even for medical use, carries “serious consequences.”
As President Donald Trump considers a cannabis rescheduling proposal—and after he posted a video on the health benefits of CBD—the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are sending a conflicting message about cannabis.
In a press release about an August “surge” in drug seizures that was sent out on Tuesday, DHS said that CBP, as part of its “mission to stop harmful drugs from entering the United States,” was announcing that “seizures of deadly drugs—including fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana—increased substantially from July to August.”
This rhetoric in relation to marijuana is different from the way most people compare and view the plant to the other substances listed that are associated with fatal overdoses. In the past, the federal government has admitted that cannabis alone did not cause a fatal drug overdose.
CBP reported that “Cartels increasingly want to do business with the Trump Administration, but they are stopping their deadly activities.”
Although it may raise some eyebrows to link marijuana with drugs such as fentanyl, the cartel-related crimes associated with cannabis have been a constant talking point in Congress. In fact, it was the subject of a House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, & Accountability hearing last month that focused on a so-called “invasion” of Chinese and Mexican cartels via illicit cannabis operations.
DHS Assistant Sectricia McLaughlin stated that “Secretary Noem, and the Department of Homeland Security fulfill President Trump’s promises to make America safer again by demantling the drug cartels and preventing the flow of dangerous drugs into American Communities.” The President’s actions will result in fewer American families being torn apart due to addiction. Fewer lives will also be lost from overdoses.
CBP also posted on Twitter a warning on Tuesday to travelers about bringing marijuana across the border.
“Attention, travelers! “Did you know marijuana remains a controlled substance in the United States federal law? It said. It said: “Selling, possessing or producing cannabis, whether for recreational use or medical purposes, is now illegal.”
Consider twice about crossing the border in possession of marijuana. This could result in serious consequences such as seizure or hefty fines. It may even lead to arrest! It said. It could also affect your entry to the U.S. Be informed and stay safe, and remember #KnowBeforeYouGo.
These messages are not entirely unexpected, since DHS and CBP have always maintained an aggressive criminalization of cannabis. This is despite the fact that the federal government has recently reconsidered its marijuana scheduling and despite other remarks from President Obama suggesting there were excessive penalties for the possession and use.
DHS, CBP, and other agencies urged the federal court in January to dismiss a case brought by New Mexico licensed marijuana businesses, who claimed they had unconstitutionally seized state-regulated products of marijuana and held industry employees at interior checkpoints.
CBP’s actions against state-legal marijuana business has also received pushback from other members in Congress as well.
A 2023 overview was also released by the agency on issues related non-intoxicating cannabis cannabinoid, CBD. This included a warning about the fact that the products were unregulated, but could contain THC levels that may show up during a workplace drug test.
CBP updated its workplace policy in 2013, reducing the period of time that an employee is not eligible for employment due to past marijuana usage from two years down to three months. In response, a GOP Senator called for the agency to reverse this decision.
Philip Steffan provided the photo.