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TAMPA, Fla. — A major shift in federal marijuana policy is now underway, with medical marijuana being reclassified to a less restrictive category: Schedule III.
The change moves medical marijuana from the most restrictive category under federal law—reserved for drugs with no accepted medical use, such as heroin and LSD—into a classification that recognizes potential medical benefits.
Supporters say the move could expand research and provide financial relief for the cannabis industry. Critics, however, argue it may send the wrong message about safety and are already preparing to challenge the change in court.
Experts say the immediate impact for consumers may be limited.
“Really for the day-to-day consumer, this doesn’t change anything. Eventually it will,” said Dr. Nicholas Kurz, who runs The Grumpy Bulldog, a medical marijuana dispensary.
Instead, he says much of the impact is expected to happen behind the scenes, particularly when it comes to research and business operations.
“This allows research to be funded to prove what benefits cannabis provides. It also provides banking relief for the cannabis industry including the growers and the dispensaries,” Kurz said.
Kurz says he looks forward to potential breakthroughs as a result of that research.
“I would like to see it more targeted on pain relief because it is an excellent alternative to opiates,” Kurz said.
Opponents argue those benefits are being overstated and say research can already be conducted under current restrictions.
“We have a lot of research on drugs that are Schedule 1, it’s just more restrictive. Moving to Schedule III certainly loosens the restrictions a little but not going to have a massive impact I don’t think. We can do more research without legitimizing this industry,” said Luke Niforatoz, executive vice president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
The group also raised concerns about broader impacts and said it plans to challenge the policy change in court.
“We expect this to be struck down in court very quickly. It’s not even a hard sell. We will be suing along with other probably state attorney generals,” Niforatoz said.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has scheduled a hearing on the reclassification for June 29.