An executive order was signed Dec. 18th by President Trump, moving to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I substance to Schedule III. The move to reclassify marijuana at a federal level was met with opposition from the Republican party. Spearheaded by Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina, over 20 Republican lawmakers signed a letter to the President in favor of maintaining marijuana’s current classification. As it stands, a Schedule I classification implies no medical or scientific merit. “Rescheduling marijuana to a Schedule III drug will undermine your strong efforts to Make America Great Again and to usher in America’s next economic Golden Age,” the letter wrote.
Fears surrounding reclassification of marijuana tend to be shrouded in antiquated perceptions of consumption and impact.
“The only winners from rescheduling will be bad actors such as Communist China, while Americans will be left paying the bill,” the letter continued.
While reclassification of cannabis will not legalize cannabis at a federal or state level, reclassification will encourage a well-needed expansion on cannabis research. Currently, federally funded research involving cannabis is heavily restricted, and must follow lengthy bureaucratic procedures that can hinder the overall results. And even if research isn’t federally funded, requirements to follow federal protocol remain in place, due to the current classification of cannabis.
This has resulted in a fragmented relationship between scientific advancement and cannabis. Cannabis used in scientific research used to be supplied from a cannabis farm at the University of Mississippi (UM). Though not without controversy — in 2017, researchers in Arizona received moldy weed samples supplied by the government to conduct research — UM was the only U.S. institution legally allowed to grow and supply cannabis for research. In late July, UM lost its contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which will end in 2028. If cannabis is reclassified, research opportunities may become more pervasive. Simply put, not only does research matter, it is needed.
