A top White House drug policy official is making aggressive claims about marijuana's dangers, arguing it is the leading addiction drug in America and causes deaths. However, her statements conflict with data from federal agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which reports that no deaths from marijuana overdose have been documented.

Roneet Lev, chief medical officer of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), made these comments on the Drug Free America Foundation's Pathways to Prevention podcast last month. Lev, an emergency medicine and addiction physician, has become a prominent voice in the Trump administration's anti-cannabis stance, despite the federal government's 2024 decision to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.

What Does the Data Actually Show About Marijuana Deaths?

Lev stated that "the number one drug of addiction is marijuana" and emphasized the importance of "remembering the victims of marijuana, the people who've died from marijuana harms." However, the DEA explicitly states that "no deaths from overdose of marijuana have been reported". Lev may have been referencing indirect deaths, such as car accidents involving drivers under the influence of cannabis, but she did not clarify this distinction in her podcast remarks.

Lev

A federal study released last month found that Americans are now more likely to use marijuana nearly every day than they are to drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes on a daily basis. This shift in consumption patterns has prompted concern from officials like Lev, who argue that substance use disorder related to cannabis has surpassed alcohol use disorder for the first time in U.S. history.

"The fact is that the number one drug of addiction is marijuana. And for the first time ever in the history of the United States, the rate of substance use disorder is over the amount of alcohol use disorder because of marijuana," said Roneet Lev.

Roneet Lev, Chief Medical Officer, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy

How to Make Informed Decisions About Cannabis and Medications?

One of Lev's key concerns centers on drug interactions and product safety. She emphasized that consumers should understand potential risks before using cannabis products, particularly if they are taking other medications. Here are the steps Lev recommends for safer cannabis use:

• Check Drug Interactions: Use resources like drugs.com to search "cannabis," "marijuana," or "cannabidiol" (CBD) and cross-reference against your current medications to identify potential interactions
• Review Blood Pressure and Blood Thinner Medications: Cannabis can interact with blood pressure medicines and blood thinners, so consult with your healthcare provider before use if you take these medications
• Screen Psychiatric Medications: Cannabis may interact with psychiatric medications, making it essential to verify compatibility with your prescriptions before consumption
• Verify Product Testing: Lev warned that "none of that has gone through any type of testing and you really don't know what you're buying," noting that consumers cannot rely on product labels being accurate

Lev also raised concerns about the unregulated nature of cannabis products sold in smoke shops. "People are buying marijuana or hemp products or psychedelics or whatever it is that's in the smoke shop these days," she explained. "You can't count on the labels being correct".

Why Is the Rescheduling Decision So Controversial?

Lev has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration's decision to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, a change that was based on recommendations from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She has questioned the scientific basis for this reclassification and expressed skepticism about whether rescheduling will actually improve research or regulation.

In her own podcast, "High Truths on Drugs and Addiction," Lev dedicated over an hour to discussing the rescheduling process with prohibitionist advocates. She argued that the HHS report on cannabis contained flaws and compared the situation to the opioid crisis, suggesting that the medical community is repeating past mistakes by accepting cannabis as medicine.

"When it comes to marijuana, the harms are right in front of our eyes but we ignore the data and follow the industry talking points just like we did in the oxycontin days," Lev stated.

Roneet Lev, Chief Medical Officer, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy

Lev contended that cannabis is "a plant with 500 different chemicals, 60 different cannabinoids, many of which have not been studied, and that includes toxins and carcinogens and other things." She expressed concern that the public may lose trust in medical institutions if they accept cannabis as safe and monitored medicine based on what she views as flawed science.

Lev

Legalization advocates counter that Lev's concerns about product safety and labeling accuracy actually support the case for regulation rather than prohibition. They argue that legal, regulated markets with mandatory testing and accurate labeling are the solution to the safety issues Lev raises, whereas illegal and unregulated products cannot be tested or verified.

The debate between federal drug policy officials and legalization supporters reflects a broader tension in American cannabis policy. While some states have implemented medical and recreational marijuana programs, the federal government continues to grapple with how to balance public health concerns with evolving scientific evidence and changing public opinion on cannabis use.