NIDA Director Nora Volkow Calls Regulating Cannabis 'Crucial' As More States Legalize It

Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), said that regulating cannabis products is "crucial," to address the pace of states' adoption of both medical and recreational use of cannabis.

"I think that is crucial because, as you know, the majority of the states in the United States have legalized either recreational or medical marijuana," Volkow told Fox News on Wednesday.

In order to keep up with the rising trend, having a greater understanding of what can be done to "minimize harmful effects" is a priority, the top federal health official said.

"That means, among other things, regulating the products that are being sold [and] educating the public about the adverse effects," she explained.

But, for now, marijuana remains classified as a so-called Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act. Meaning it can't be legally regulated on the federal level.

Meanwhile, commenting on recent research that marijuana use might be linked to an increased risk of psychosis, Volkow said, "Unfortunately, marijuana is not as benign as we would like it to be—because it would be great if it was a very safe drug."

As a co-author of a recent study published in Psychological Medicine, which suggested that young men with cannabis use disorder, or excessive dependency on marijuana consumption, are at higher risk of developing schizophrenia, she recently called for "prevention, screening, and treatment for people who may experience mental illnesses associated with cannabis use," is essential.

Interestingly, Volkow, who is a psychiatrist, acknowledged last year that there is no scientific proof marijuana consumption is harmful when used occasionally and in moderate doses.

"There's no evidence to my knowledge that occasional [adult] marijuana use has harmful effects," she said. "I don't know of any scientific evidence of that. I don't think it has been evaluated. We need to test it."

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