Mississippi expert says potential marijuana reclassification ‘going to be a positive’ for research – Mississippi Public Broadcasting
President Trump recently issued an executive order that seeks to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III, or one that is considered to have a lower risk of abuse.
“I think this is going to really open up the research pathways to developing products that might be higher percentage THC, like some of the products that are available in the medical cannabis programs around the country,” said Robert Welch, director of the National Center for Cannabis Research and Education at the University of Mississippi. “So I think from that standpoint, it’s going to be a positive.”
Shamira Muhammad
How would Mississippi benefit from a marijuana reclassification?
Marijuana is currently classified alongside drugs including heroin, LSD and ecstasy.
“Now, people need to understand that, just because something goes from Schedule I, which is no medical use, to Schedule III, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be just available,” said Welch. “It’s not gonna be available for recreational use. This is going to specifically determine a schedule for a drug product. So that’ll have to go through development.”
The proposed reclassification would have to be approved by the Drug Enforcement Agency. Welch says Schedule III licenses are often easier for researchers to obtain.
“If you want to do clinical trials with a Schedule I substance, you have to go through a lot of requirements like security, you have to have a safe and, with certain products, you might have to have a locked freezer,” he said.
In May, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case challenging Mississippi’s ban on advertising for marijuana dispensaries. Welch says a reclassification of marijuana would not immediately impact this law, but could affect how state lawmakers decide to move forward.
“That would have to be done on the state level in a separate amendment of some sort or an update to the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act, because this does not affect any of the state programs,” Welch said.
There are currently 22 conditions approved for treatment under Mississippi’s medical marijuana program.