How the reclassification of medical marijuana could impact Maryland dispensaries and researchers
Researchers and cannabis dispensary owners shared their excitement for possible changes after the Justice Department reclassified medical marijuana to a lower class Thursday.
The ease on restrictions across the U.S. could help researchers learn more about the drug and could have an impact on local dispensaries.
The Justice Department rescheduled medical marijuana from the strictest classification — Schedule I — to Schedule III. The lowest classification is Schedule IV. The move marks FDA-approved and state-regulated medical marijuana products as less dangerous.
Medical marijuana has been legal in Maryland since 2014, with the first dispensary sales allowed in 2017.
Impacts on research and cannabis dispensaries
Researchers, including Dr. Ryan Vandrey with the Johns Hopkins University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, say this is a win that could make room for more targeted treatment plans for patients.
"It gives a pathway to acceptability," Vandrey said. "It opens up more research, and then collectively, we can start to drill down and fine-tune which types of cannabis products are effective for which types of health conditions."
"The patients are the real winners this week," he added.
Joe Andreae is the CEO of CULTA, a dispensary in Maryland. He said the resclassification could ease the tax burden on dispensaries and give producers more opportunities to do research themselves, which has been too expensive before.
"I think most of us have been dying to play around and be creative and try to do these things, but it's had seriously diminishing returns," Andreae said.
In a statement shared with WJZ, Republican Congressman Andy Harris called the move "bad policy" and said the argument that medical marijuana is not harmful and nonaddictive is false.
"Rescheduling minimizes the risks of a drug that is already more potent and more accessible to children than ever before. Higher THC levels and widespread availability are accelerating early use, deepening dependency, and harming adolescent brain development," the statement said.
Andreae hopes that reclassifying the drug reduces the stigma around cannabis products.
"I think we're cautious it might shake out like tobacco, and I think we hope it doesn't shake out like pharmaceutical in a way that completely discloses what we know as the industry today," Andreae said.
The Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) are also speeding up the process to reclassify recreational marijuana during a hearing in June. This could change the drug's status under federal law.
