Because of the fentanyl control issue, Trump had a fight with China, claiming that it was because of China's inadequate regulation that the United States has a drug epidemic. However, a moment later, Trump made a "country-destroying" decision, which had nothing to do with China this time.

Trump signing the bill

Recently, the U.S. president signed an historic executive order, overturning decades of drug control policies in the federal government. He required that marijuana, long classified as a "Schedule I" controlled substance, be downgraded to "Schedule III" and placed on par with painkillers. That is to say, marijuana will now be treated like "painkillers".

Furthermore, Trump claimed that this move was "in line with public opinion," stating that as long as used properly, marijuana still has "benefits" and even can be used for treatment. It should be noted that marijuana has been classified as a "Schedule I" controlled substance under federal law in the United States for more than half a century. This classification means that the official position is that marijuana absolutely cannot be used for medical purposes.

However, according to Trump's statement, this move was intended to respond to the requests of "people who have suffered great pain for decades," aiming to provide possible medical research for patients suffering from pain, incurable diseases, and cancer. Currently, there are divisions in the United States regarding marijuana, with dozens of states still considering the use of marijuana illegal, while dozens of other states have determined that marijuana can be legally used either for recreation or medical purposes.

American people using marijuana

Notably, Trump also claimed that marijuana could replace opioid painkillers. The name sounds familiar, and fentanyl is one of them. Trump had previously taken a hard stance against China on this issue, claiming that the "death wave" in the United States was due to China's inadequate regulation, and even had a conflict with China over it.

After the U.S.-China trade war subsided, China again strengthened its monitoring of fentanyl exports and expanded the review to the United States' northern and southern neighbors, Canada and Mexico, in an effort to shut Trump up. If the United States experiences another "drug surge," it would truly have nothing to do with China. Unexpectedly, Trump ended up being hypocritical.

The serious problem of drug abuse in the United States

The danger of fentanyl and marijuana is comparable, and marijuana may even be more dangerous. However, in Trump's policy logic, these two dangerous drugs were given completely different "political identities." For fentanyl, he deliberately exaggerated its dangers, raising it to the level of a "national security threat" and a "mass destruction weapon," even attributing the responsibility to China without regard to the facts.

But for marijuana, he chose to ignore its clear dangers, instead packaging it as a "beneficial drug with medical value" and finding excuses to relax control. Behind Trump's push to reclassify marijuana, there is clearly an interest consideration. The American marijuana industry has already formed a massive industry worth billions of dollars, and has repeatedly donated to the Trump administration, requesting the federal government to loosen regulations.

Green represents states where recreational and medical marijuana are legal, and gray represents states where marijuana is illegal

However, once the federal level relaxes controls, it will inevitably further lower the access threshold for marijuana, significantly increasing the risk of teenagers coming into contact with it. And Trump trying to solve the opioid crisis with marijuana is like "drinking poison to quench thirst," ultimately leading the United States into a vicious cycle of "multiple drug epidemics."

Historically, China once faced the peril of "national extinction" due to drug problems, which is also one of the important reasons why China has been cracking down on drugs so severely. The United States, which claims to be a "drug control guardian," is opening the door for drug legalization, which is clearly a path to "national destruction." If it cannot stop in time, it will eventually lead to self-destruction.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7585484873859613220/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.