I ran High Times magazine. Cannabis reform needs safeguards. | Opinion – USA Today
As the former chairman of High Times magazine, I spent decades immersed in cannabis culture. For 25 years, I also used cannabis every day.
I built companies, ran media platforms and helped shape conversations around marijuana – all while believing it was largely harmless. Like many Americans, I saw cannabis as natural, safer than alcohol and free of real downside.
It wasn’t until I stopped that I understood how deeply it had shaped my life.
On Dec. 18, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to change long-standing cannabis policy, reclassifying it as a less dangerous substance. In recent remarks, he emphasized the need to confront hard data, protect young people and avoid repeating the public health mistakes made with other widely available substances.
That framing deserves credit. It reflects a willingness to modernize policy while acknowledging that access, without honesty, can carry consequences.
As the country reexamines federal cannabis restrictions, a long-overdue conversation about reform is finally underway. I welcome it. Prohibition failed. Criminalization caused real harm. And despite some recent reporting questioning health benefits, I believe cannabis has legitimate medical uses that deserve serious research and responsible access.
But there is something missing from much of the celebration: an honest conversation about addiction.
Cannabis use disorder is real. It is a recognized clinical condition involving impaired control, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms and continued use despite negative consequences. Recent studies showing rising rates of dependency – particularly with long-term and high-potency use – helped push this issue back into the national spotlight. While many people use marijuana without developing problems, a meaningful minority do.
I was one of them.
For years, I would have described my cannabis use as manageable, even beneficial. It helped me sleep. It reduced anxiety. It felt integrated into daily life. Over time, however, it also dulled motivation, narrowed emotional range and made it harder to engage fully with stress, conflict and personal growth.
That is what makes cannabis different from how it is often portrayed. Its risks are not always dramatic or immediate. They are subtle, cumulative and easy to rationalize – until they are not.
Acknowledging those risks does not invalidate cannabis’ potential benefits. It complicates the narrative that marijuana is universally benign.
That nuance matters now more than ever. The administration’s decision to revisit outdated federal classifications signals openness to evidence-based reform. But reform should not mean replacing one blind spot with another.
Legal substances such as alcohol and prescription medications are widely available, yet regulated, researched and accompanied by public-health messaging because access carries risk. Cannabis deserves the same treatment – not stigma, but honesty.
If federal restrictions continue to ease, policymakers should pair reform with three priorities:
Some advocates worry that talking about addiction will slow reform or revive stigma. In reality, the opposite is true. Reform built on denial is fragile. Reform built on honesty is durable.
After decades immersed in cannabis culture and years of daily use, I still support sensible reform. But I also know that pretending cannabis is risk-free leaves too many people without language, support or care when use stops serving them.
We can modernize cannabis policy without minimizing its risks. And we can tell the full story – not just the convenient part.
Disclosure: In 2024, I pleaded guilty to conspiracy to tout securities. That experience reinforced my belief in accountability, transparency and the importance of honest conversations – including about substances and behaviors that can quietly shape our lives.
Adam Levin is the former chair of High Times magazine and has worked at the intersection of media, business and cannabis policy. He writes from both professional and lived experience.