(WSET) — The federal government is looking at rescheduling cannabis, meaning fewer restrictions for the plant and the industry.
The proposal received thousands of comments and now experts are weighing in.
According to the DEA, the drugs currently are classified on a scale of one to five.
A Schedule V has a low amount of narcotics, like cough medicine.
SEE ALSO: Danville schools introduce ‘Yondr pouch’ to enforce phone-free policy
Schedule I substances are what are commonly referred to as “harder drugs” that have not been approved for medical use and have a higher potential to be abused. Substances currently listed as Schedule I include heroin, LSD, ecstasy and cannabis.
Under President Biden’s direction, the Department of Justice submitted a proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. This means it has moderate to low dependence factors.
President of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, Dr. Kevin Sabet, said rescheduling marijuana would provide tax breaks to large companies.
“We would never want to give Purdue Pharma and these Oxycontin companies a lot of tax breaks for breaking the law for doing something that’s harmful to the American people,” Sabet said.
CONTINUE READING: Boar’s Head recalls deli meat from factory in Virginia: investigating Listeria outbreak
Development Director of NORML, JM Pedini, argued marijuana doesn’t fit the current schedule.
“Its relatively low abuse potential is inconsistent with the criteria required for substances in either schedule one or schedule two,” Pedini, who also serves as the Executive Director of the state chapter of Virginia NORML, said.
Both groups submitted comments during the recent open period.
The decision now falls on the DEA, DOJ, and Attorney General. A hearing could be held or the government officials could decide to make the decision themselves. It’s unclear which way the decision will go.
