Marijuana to be reclassified by DEA as less dangerous drug
AUSTIN, Texas - In a historic move, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is set to ease restrictions on marijuana. In the proposed plan, marijuana will be classified as a less dangerous drug, but will remain a controlled substance.
"It is long due and pastime that we actually reassess this and reassess our stance from a federal level and find a better footing for medicinal, which is what we are seeing now," says CEO of Texas Original Holdings Nico Richardson.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has agreed to reclassify marijuana under federal law, which will start the process of considering the drug less dangerous.
"It has to go to the budget office, the White House get formal approval, then it goes back to the D.E.A to open up for public comment," said Richardson.
The next step would be a review from an administrative judge.
"It is very positive to see the federal government finally taking this evidence to heart and taking cannabis out of its schedule one classification," says Richardson.
Marijuana is currently a Schedule I drug in the same category as Heroin and LSD. The DEA is working to reclassify the substance to a Schedule III alongside ketamine and anabolic steroids.
MORE STORIES:
- U.S. to reclassify marijuana as less dangerous drug in historic policy shift
- Marijuana: How its reclassification by the DEA could impact Americans
- Is marijuana legal in Texas? What you need to know about the state’s pot laws.
"Cannabis probably should be descheduled altogether rather than put in Schedule III, but this is the right direction that it is moving towards and, basically, the acknowledgment here is that it does not have the same harm profile as other drugs that are in Schedule I classification," says Richardson.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will still penalize those who do not use the drug properly.
"This change that we are seeing at the federal level really only applies to medical cannabis, it does not apply to recreational cannabis," says Richardson.
Richardson is the CEO of Texas Original Holdings. His company grows cannabis in the state of Texas. He says the rescheduling will help those in need of treatment save money.
"The benefit for medical patients out there that use cannabis is that if you see a change like this go through, it should lower the cost of medical cannabis across the board in every state," says Richardson.