Medical Marijuana Reclassified as Less Dangerous Substance

SALISBURY, Md. — Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order Thursday reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug, marking a historic shift.

The move comes months after President Donald Trump signed an executive order, ordering the Department of Justice to begin the rescheduling process for marijuana. Advocates are calling the move the biggest step forward for the cannabis industry yet.

“Every time something like this happens, it’s a huge win for cannabis, it’s a huge win for the stigma, and it’s a huge win for the patient,” said Joe Andreae, CEO of CULTA.

Medical marijuana is now classified as a Schedule III substance, instead of Schedule I, recognizing its accepted medical uses. The new classification means tax breaks for medical marijuana operators.

“It’s a step in the right direction for our industry. Certainly, it will help out operators, specifically and mostly retail operators, who really do struggle with the tax burden,” said Anthony Darby, partner at Maryland’s first micro-grow cannabis operation, Farm Coast.

The reclassification also opens up more opportunities for research into marijuana’s safety and medicinal benefits.

“I think right now it’s a lot of folklore, a lot of anecdotal hearsay, and as someone who opened and operated a medical cannabis dispensary and saw it have so much good — I still have so much curiosity,” Darby said.

However, some uncertainty remains regarding how the change will impact operators selling both recreational and medicinal marijuana.

“I think we’re at least six months from knowing what it actually means in the day-to-day,” Andreae said.