The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug which could call for a shift in the United States drug policy as proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services.
While marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, 38 states have legalized it for medical purposes and 24 states have legalized it for recreational use.
At a Federal level, marijuana would be reclassified from the strictest Schedule I where it is legally put on par with drugs like heroin, LSD, quaaludes, and ecstasy to the less stringent Schedule III where drugs like ketamine and testosterone are categorized. This schedule change, also known as the CSA (Controlled Substances Act) raises contrasting information.
Since 1971, marijuana has been described as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” according to the federal government. On the other hand, Schedule III substances are defined by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as drugs “with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological abuse.”
“I wonder what scientists will discover if marijuana is reclassified or legalized completely, seeing as there is more opportunity for research to occur. There could be some interesting uncoverings about the drug if more information is collected,” NHS freshman Ava Geiger said.
Due to the difference in access that is attached to the CSA Schedules, there would be more readily available information related to marijuana if it was reclassified.
Many believe that the reclassification of marijuana would still fail to address the ability to research the drug and would create issues regarding access. Some legalization advocates say rescheduling marijuana is too incremental. They want to keep the focus on eradicating it from the controlled substances list completely, which doesn't include drugs such as alcohol or tobacco instead of lowering it on the CSA Schedule.
“It is interesting to see the reasons why people think marijuana is more on the dangerous side versus those that believe marijuana to be a safer drug,” NHS freshman Brynn Lozer said.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s proposal must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, undergo a public comment period, and then be formalized by an administrative judge for the drug to move within the CSA Schedules.
The move to reschedule marijuana is partially dependent on public opinion and acceptance of its use. A poll conducted in 2023 found that 70% of U.S. adults support this legislation, compared to 30% in 2000.
“Reducing the Schedule to Schedule III will open up the door for us to be able to conduct research with human subjects with cannabis,” the director of the University of Washington’s Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute in Seattle, Susan Ferguson said.
Schedule III drugs are easier to study, though the reclassification will not immediately reverse all barriers to study. The Drug Policy Alliance explained in a press statement that moving marijuana to Schedule III wouldn’t adequately tackle the “serious harms” in communities affected by marijuana criminalization.
"When you legalize a compound, far more people would go to the legal market, just because it's simple and people don't have access to the black market. The illicit market would certainly dwindle," a psychologist and neuroscientist from Columbia University who specializes in drug use and addiction, Dr. Carl Hart said.
Given the recent state trends of legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use, there is more opportunity to study marijuana from the state-licensed dispensaries, but it is uncertain if this would be possible and whether or not the Federal Food and Drug Administration might provide oversight.
To fully legalize marijuana, the drug would have to be de-scheduled which would mean the complete removal of the substance from the CSA.
“While I think marijuana can be a very harmful drug if misused, it can also be useful in the medical field. Overall, it is very dangerous and can be abused in many different ways,” NHS freshman Brady Wennerholm said.
It remains to be seen exactly when the rescheduling of marijuana could take effect, but according to some experts, it can be as soon as June 2024.
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