The Federal Government Wants to Legalize Non-Psychoactive Cannabis

There has been a lot of debate recently about whether cannabis should be rescheduled so that testing can happen, de-scheduled completely, or fully legalized. In our recent correspondence with DEA Headquarters Public Affairs Officer, Barbara Correno, we did not get information on exactly when the DEA plans to announce their decision regarding rescheduling cannabis. Correno said, “We are working diligently on the response to the petition to reschedule marijuana, and we hope we will have a response out soon, but at this point we don’t have a date to give you.”

On the contrary, a recent report seems to state the DEA’s solution for now may be to legalize non-psychoactive cannabis. According to A New Domain, in an exclusive interview with their publication, the DEA revealed that while they are not prepared to say that they will officially reschedule cannabis to be Schedule II, they did let on that cannabis is complex, offering up a lot more surprises than they initially thought.

Because of this complexity, Russ Baer of the DEA stated that the group “could partially legalize medical marijuana, and the federal government could usher in a new era with a comprehensive and multi-structural approach to pot policy,” meaning that cannabis would be rescheduled under a “federal prescription system,” which would still allow states more access to medical cannabis, or full recreational access, if they see fit.

In a recent statement to the press, Senator Grassley, one of the backers of the CARERS act, stated, “The parents of children with severe epilepsy and other conditions are interested in cannabidiol to try to ease their children’s symptoms. I understand their interest. Research is necessary to determine the potential medical value of cannabidiol, and wherever possible, the government should help facilitate the scientific research needed to give these parents the answers they need.”

Based on this, it seems very likely that the federal government will lean towards wanting to legalize only CBD cannabis, and keeping the psychoactive elements out. This is certainly a good start, and a way to allow fair access to medicine for people who need it. However, much of medical cannabis use relies on THC, and it appears that for now, that will still be left out of the conversation when it comes to legalization.