Opinion: What Main Street operators need to know about rescheduling or descheduling marijuana

Last fall, President Joe Biden called on the leaders of the U.S. departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to “review expeditiously” how marijuana is scheduled.

The move opened the door to renewed speculation about how descheduling – or rescheduling – marijuana would affect regulated cannabis markets operating across the country.

Those of us in the industry were obviously pleased with Biden’s request.

But the president’s move also emphasized the need for policy reform that will benefit smaller, independent cannabis businesses – not just multistate operators and other large, deep-pocketed companies.

Main Street cannabis and rescheduling

Descheduling is the key to responsible federal marijuana reform.

By descheduling marijuana and placing it under the purview of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), cannabis could be regulated similarly to alcohol.

Unlike tasking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration…