WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s acting attorney general on Thursday signed an order reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug, a major policy shift long sought by advocates who said cannabis should never have been treated like heroin by the federal government.
The order signed by Todd Blanche does not legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use under federal law. But it does change the way it’s regulated, shifting licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I — reserved for drugs without medical use and with high potential for abuse — to the less strictly regulated Schedule III. It also gives licensed medical marijuana operators a major tax break and eases some barriers to researching cannabis.
When the right thing is done for all the wrong reasons. I agree, though. Too many people seek relief from an unregulated product, adulterated with G-d only knows what, and hopefully it can be delivered without having to inhale carbon monoxide or high temperature, if the person desires it.
I’d really like to see it regulated and licensed for rec, so neighbors wouldn’t have to rely on unscrupulous growers, dealers, and middle men, so I guess we’ll see how long that process takes.