While the administration’s medical cannabis rescheduling order is a welcome step forward, it falls well short of the comprehensive changes necessary to provide nationwide relief to patients — and it fails to harmonize state and federal marijuana policy.
“Acceptance of the newly proposed rule would mean that no state-legal medical cannabis patient will any longer have to choose between either their medicine or their constitutional right to bear arms.”
“Today’s order marks a historical reversal in federal cannabis policy. It validates the experiences of tens of millions of Americans, as well as those of tens of thousands of physicians, who have long recognized that cannabis possesses legitimate medical utility, as well as the legitimacy of the longstanding medical cannabis access programs available in the majority of US states.”
“While we welcome any easing of federal policies that target and discriminate against cannabis consumers, this particular policy shift appears to be largely opportunistic and not in any way reflective of a broader shift in the federal government’s stance toward those who consume marijuana responsibly.”
The following primer seeks to provide clarity to frequently asked questions surrounding cannabis rescheduling and its policy implications.
“While such a move potentially provides some benefits to patients, and veterans especially, it still falls well short of the changes necessary to bring federal marijuana policy into the 21st century.”
Now is not the time for the cannabis community to rest on the laurels of its past successes or to presume that someone else is going to finish the job.
It’s been approximately one month since President Trump announced that the administration is “looking into” federally reclassifying cannabis and that it would “make a determination over the next few weeks.”