Why the New Cannabis Classification Matters
- President Trump ordered cannabis to be downgraded from Schedule I to Schedule III, allowing for wider patient use and enabling producers to access standard business tax breaks.
- The reclassification facilitates increased research funding by moving cannabis out of the most restrictive category that limits study due to its previous classification alongside drugs like LSD and heroin.
- State laws will continue to govern cannabis legality, with federal controls such as special licensing for prescribers and prescription frequency limits remaining in place.
- The change could eventually lead to lighter federal penalties for cannabis trafficking and reduce prosecutions related to its use and distribution.
President Trump on Thursday ordered cannabis to be downgraded to a lower category of drugs, a change that would allow for more widespread use by patients and permit cannabis producers to take advantage of standard business tax breaks.
While the change sounds highly technical — moving it from Schedule I to Schedule III — it has a number of significant implications. Here are answers to some questions.
Mr. Trump said the main reason was to allow research into cannabis to be intensified. Cannabis is listed alongside LSD and heroin in the federal government’s most restrictive drug category, which is labeled Schedule 1. These drugs are deemed to have no medical benefit and a high potential for abuse. As a result of that classification, funding for research on the effects of cannabis use has been limited and tightly restricted.
Now, cannabis will be listed in the same category as Tylenol with codeine, ketamine, testosterone and buprenorphine, the opioid-use treatment medication, opening it up to more research funds.
No. State laws will still determine the legality of cannabis. Currently, it is legal for adult recreational use in two dozen states and the District of Columbia and for medical use in 40 states and D.C. On the federal level, cannabis will still be subject to controls, such as special licensing for prescribers and constraints on the frequency with which a prescription can be written.
Still, the reclassification could eventually lead to an easing of federal sentencing guidelines, resulting in lighter penalties for cannabis trafficking and a reduction in prosecutions.
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