File photo of Marijuana. BBC/Getty.
President Trump has ordered Marijuana and Cannabis to be reclassified as a Schedule III drug. BBC. Schedule III drugs will allow research to be done to determine the medical value of the drug. Cannabis will remain illegal at the federal level. The reclassification will be a boon for marijuana dispensaries in states where medical and recreational cannabis are legal as they will now be eligible for certain tax breaks. Trump has also directed the government to research and allow in certain circumstances CBD oil, another cannabis based product. A majority of states allow medical use for cannabis while 24 allow for recreational use. Rescheduling the drug was a priority under the former Biden administration but they were unable to accomplish the goal.
My Comment:
Our marijuana policy is... strange to say the least. Trump reclassifying marijuana a month after congress banned various marijuana products in the bill to reopen the government is almost nonsensical and it shows how much disagreement there is about pot in the Republican party.
It seems mostly to be a generational divide with few young people wanting pot to be illegal, but most older folks disagreeing. Republicans point to how pot users seem to have little drive and how annoying it can be to be around people that smoke pot.
I will admit to having mixed feelings myself. I have never tried cannabis in any form and have no desire to do so. Some of that is because I live in a state where it is illegal, but even then, I have no real desire to use the drug. And I do think quite a few people have ruined their lives with the drug and it's not anywhere near as harmless as people like to portray it.
On the other hand, marijuana use is pretty much universal at this point. A lot of folks don't do it, like myself, but it feels like I am absolutely in the minority. Supposedly the number of people who admit to using cannabis is around 50% and I am guessing the actual number is higher.
Of course, those are arguments for not legalizing the drug, which Trump didn't do. Instead he just reclassified it so it's not forbidden to do research on it. I think I support this more than I do legalization.
It will allow research to be used to see if it actually can help with some diseases. I am generally skeptical that anything real will be found. I am guessing that pot does help people in a way, it makes you feel good and makes it easier to ignore symptoms, but does it have any actual real benefits? Well, I guess we will find out.
I do have to say that it is hilarious that this happened under a Republican president. Rank and file Democrats have been lobbying for this my entire life and it didn't happen under Clinton, Obama or Biden. It happened under Trump. And I am sure he will get any credit for it either, he never does when he does something the left likes as well.
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