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Medical marijuana licensees in Massachusetts can expect a range of potential changes following the Trump administration’s rescheduling of cannabis as a less dangerous class of drug Thursday, the Cannabis Control Commission stated.
“The Cannabis Control Commission has been preparing for the possibility of rescheduling for years, and we look forward to this change potentially providing benefits for medical marijuana licensees such as changes to federal tax status under 280E, new research opportunities, and improved support for patient access,” CCC Executive Director Travis Ahern said.
Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order shifting state-licensed medical marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug, a less strict classification allowing for more leeway in the regulation and research of the drug.
The order does not legalize marijuana for recreational or medical use under federal law, but removes it from the classification of drugs like heroin, MDMA and LSD. Schedule I drugs are federally regulated as having no medical use and high potential for abuse, while Schedule III drugs like ketamine and certain anabolic steroids are deemed as moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.
The reclassification will allow for steps like tax breaks for medical marijuana operators and easing of barriers for research into medical use.
The Massachusetts CCC called the measure a “sensible change in federal drug policy” and cited the state’s An Act Modernizing the Commonwealth’s Cannabis Law recently signed by Gov. Maura Healey, allowing for increased possession limits, expansion of potential delivery service, retail license cap removal and more.
The CCC said the federal shift will also complement “the ongoing rollout of social consumption, and our effort to build the Center for Cannabis Research and Policy” in Massachusetts.
The commission is still reviewing the order, and a wider briefing meeting of state regulators is scheduled for Friday.
Massachusetts legalized recreational marijuana in 2016, one of 24 states and Washington, D.C. having done so. Medical use of the drug is currently legal in 40 states and D.C.
A 2024 national survey by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration showed 22% of Americans age 12 and older or about 64 million people used marijuana in the previous year, up from 19% in 2021. Support for the legalization of marijuana also rose to 64% last year, according to Gallup polling.
The Trump administration also set a hearing for June 29 to jump-start the process for reclassifying marijuana more broadly.
Retailers licensed to sell medical marijuana could save millions in tax deduction for expenses, savings previously blocked by regulations against “trafficking” a Schedule I or II drug. However, how the many retailers who sell both medical and recreational marijuana will benefit was not immediately distinguished Thursday.
The rescheduling will also broaden the potential for clinical and biotech research, allowing cannabis use to potentially become more integrated with traditional healthcare in the U.S.
The president of the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp, Michael Bronstein, called the change “the most significant federal advancement in cannabis policy in over 50 years.”
“This action recognizes what Americans have long known, cannabis is medicine,” he said in a written statement.
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