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Marijuana Policy Project Statement Regarding President Trump’s Move To Reschedule Cannabis

We hope this move to Schedule III truly does open up medical research, that it inspires states to guarantee access to safe, regulated cannabinoids for patients who desperately need them, and that the regulated industry might finally be treated more fairly under the federal tax code. But a move to Schedule III does nothing to end hundreds of thousands of possession arrests each year, nor does it do anything to fix the untenable, ongoing disconnect between federal prohibition and the regulated state markets under which more than half of American adults live. We are pleased that the President is taking this important step, but it is only a step. It is long past time to deschedule cannabis entirely…

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Featured

 It’s Time for America to Admit That It Has a Marijuana Problem

Not surprisingly, greater THC potency has contributed to more addiction and illness. The appropriate response is both to make illegal any marijuana product that exceeds a THC level of 60 percent and to impose higher taxes on potent forms of pot, much as liquor is taxed more heavily than beer and wine.

Articles of Interest

How the Feds Kinda Made Weed Legal, But Still Complicated as Hell

It’s no surprise that the 2018 Farm Bill eventually transformed into a pathway for people to start questionably legal hemp operations. After all, businesses producing hemp-derived intoxicating THC products aren’t subject to all of the red tape involved with state-regulated cannabis markets. They’re, wink wink, producing an agricultural commodity. This has created a lot of controversy and infighting among the hemp vs. cannabis crowd.

Only 6 Percent Of Marijuana Research Considers Medical Benefits

It's impressive researchers have managed to conduct even that many studies.

President Trump reclassifies marijuana, making it easier for medical use

Trump signs order reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug, easing restrictions and potentially boosting access and industry growth.

Why the New Cannabis Classification Matters

Moving cannabis to a category of drugs that includes some common medicines will have implications for research, businesses and patients.

Cannabis Rescheduling: Separating Fact From Fiction

Will reclassifying cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III provide state governments with the ability to legally regulate cannabis free from federal interference? President Trump is on record stating that he “supports states’ rights to pass marijuana laws.” However, reclassifying cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III does not provide state governments with the authority to establish marijuana regulations that are inconsistent with those established by the federal government.

Even where weed is legal, product safety isn't guaranteed

Every state that has legal marijuana has its own regulations. In Massachusetts and Alabama, for instance, state marijuana authorities require testing for coliform. Colorado does not. Even if states test for the same microbes, they often have different limits. Colorado's standard for total yeasts and molds is 10 times lower than Michigan's limits for recreational cannabis flower.

How safe is your weed? Patchy regulations may leave contaminants in the weed supply

Of course, cannabis itself is associated with health risks, whether it's contaminated or not. As cannabis products become more potent and as more Americans consume greater quantities of them, researchers say there are significant risks to brain function and mental health.

Legal Marijuana’s Disastrous Legacy

The primary effect of rescheduling, as the Congressional Research Service has shown, would be a tax break to fuel the growth of state-legal marijuana businesses. That’s because a provision of the tax code, Section 280E, which provides that businesses can’t deduct the costs of trafficking in Schedule I or II controlled substances. But that’s not the case for Schedule III.

Marijuana: is it time to stop using a word with racist roots?

As marijuana arrests disproportionately affect minorities, controversy grows over a term prohibitionists hoped would appeal to xenophobia

Rescheduling Marijuana Is an Enormous Mistake

Trump’s executive order does little more than offer a tax cut to an industry that profits from addiction.

The Women Fighting for Cannabis Justice and Data Transparency in the U.S. Prison System

No one should be in prison for weed. Truer words, right? The sentiment has been frosted on cakes, featured in countless Instagram tiles, and been the rallying cry of the handful of nonprofits actually trying to do something about it. Cannabis is recreationally legal in 17 states and has become a $61 billion industry. Despite the huge strides made towards legalization, the idealistic messages that inspired the movement have been neglected. The communities most impacted by the War on Drugs still suffer. There are still people locked up for dime-bags.

Trump Signs Order to Loosen Restrictions on Marijuana: What to Know

The executive order, signed Thursday, would reschedule marijuana to a lower drug classification equal to that applied to some common prescription drugs. The change would not legalize the drug on the federal level, but would ease barriers for research using cannabis and could bolster the cannabis industry.

Trump’s New Marijuana Policy Offers an Opportunity

President Trump ordered marijuana to be rescheduled under federal law on Thursday, shifting it out of the most restrictive drug category. The move would make it easier to conduct medical research on the drug, though it stops short of federal legalization. It has reignited familiar arguments about whether cannabis is harmless or dangerous, medicine or vice, success or failure. That debate misses the point. Instead of choosing sides, we should acknowledge that policy moved faster than the evidence on public health effects. The challenge is whether we are willing to adjust course when we encounter unintended consequences.

What are the lessons from America’s great cannabis liberalisation experiment?

The US has come quite some way in legalising cannabis use, with nearly half of states having laws permitting recreational cannabis use. Yet the legalisation of cannabis remains an ever-present, heated and polarising debate. One that is often exploited by politicians to win votes, either by stoking fear of the harms that will come from legalising cannabis, or by the promise of decreased violent crime and increased tax revenue from cannabis sales. The science around the harms of cannabis is relatively well-established. Frequent use of high-potency cannabis and starting use at a young age is a risk factor for various mental health conditions – particularly schizophrenia. It can also lead to cognitive impairment and poor educational attainment, as well as increasing the risk of developing cannabis-use disorder (addiction).

Why the 1970s Effort to Decriminalize Marijuana Failed

The explosion of kid-friendly paraphernalia led the federal government to crack down on pot

Why The Wall Street Journal Piece ‘Legal Marijuana’s Disastrous Legacy’ Missed The Mark

The bottom line: It’s not my view that legalization is a panacea to fix society’s ills. But it won’t cause them either.

Resources

Marijuana Legality Map

Marijuana laws are changing at a rapid pace across all 50 states, making things a bit confusing at times. In order to keep up with the ever-changing laws, DISA has provided this interactive map for information on legalization, medical use, recreational use, and anything in between.

Marijuana Policy Project

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is the number one organization in the U.S. dedicated to legalizing cannabis. We've passed 15 medical cannabis laws, and we played a leading role in 14 of the 24 legalization states. No organization in the movement has changed as many cannabis laws, impacted as many patients and consumers, created as many new markets, or done more to end cannabis prohibition in the U.S. than MPP.

Drug Poicy Alliance

Marijuana legalization should prioritize public health, consumer safety, and justice for those harmed by criminalization. The Drug Policy Alliance supports reforms that benefit people’s wellbeing, not corporate profit.

NORML

NORML’s mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to legalize the responsible use of marijuana by adults, and to serve as an advocate for consumers to assure they have access to high quality marijuana that is safe, convenient and affordable.