The Justice Department has reclassified state-licensed medical marijuana as a Schedule 3 drug, moving it from the same category as heroin and LSD to one that includes substances like ketamine and Tylenol with codeine.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed the order, officially recognizing the medicinal value of medical marijuana.
“It’s the first time the government saying, hey, you know what? We may be recognizing this as having some true medical benefit,” said Anthony Gonzales, co-owner of a cannabis dispensary.
Medical marijuana’s new classification could change how it is studied and regulated.
Grant Palmer, co-owner of Cannacruz Dispensaries, shared how it has helped his father.
“My dad had really bad glaucoma. And, you know, he had a stroke. And during that stroke, he had very severe restless leg syndrome,” Palmer said. “We were able to get him off most of his medications, not all of them, but a lot of them.”
Dispensary owners noted that their clientele often includes older adults seeking relief from pain, anxiety, and sleep issues.
“A lot of people think our store is full of younger people that are looking for cannabis to get high, but in reality, it’s a lot of older customers. People are looking for pain relief, sleep support, anxiety support, and pain management,” Gonzales said.
The reclassification could also provide financial relief for dispensaries by removing a federal tax provision that previously prohibited tax deductions for businesses dealing in federally illegal substances.
“Yeah, we’re getting taxed on payroll. We’re getting taxed on rent, office supplies, computers,” Palmer said. “It’s all treated as profit.”
This change applies only to medical cannabis products that have undergone FDA testing. Recreational cannabis, which has not gone through FDA approval, remains classified as a Schedule 1 substance.
“So the question is how does the new reclassification impact those products within the entire store? We’re not too sure yet. Right. We’ll see how that all trickles down,” Gonzales said.
Both dispensary owners expressed optimism about the reclassification as a step toward broader legalization.
“We work in these shops every day, and we see customers coming every day getting the type of relief from these products,” Gonzales said.
Experts explained that the difference between medical and recreational cannabis lies in FDA approval. Medical cannabis products undergo FDA testing, while recreational products do not.
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