In mid-December President Trump issued an executive order rescheduling marijuana from Schedule 1 (illegal drugs) to Schedule III (controlled substances). That removed obstacles to greater medicinal marijuana use and makes federal law more consistent with laws in the vast majority of states. The move came after intense lobbying from both sides. Trump’s executive order both surprised and irritated some lawmakers and political operatives on the religious right, who have seen the movie, Reefer Madness, too many times. The following is from the Wall Street Journal:
Conservative and religious leaders, such as the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Ralph Reed, had asked the White House not to reclassify the drug, saying it could be a gateway to other drugs and didn’t fit with the president’s agenda. Reed and allies argued medical studies had not shown health or medicinal benefits.
Heidi Overton, a top aide on the conservative domestic policy council, repeatedly weighed in against it, including in the meeting where Trump made the decision, people with knowledge of the meeting said. Through a spokeswoman, she declined to comment.
Some White House officials, including deputy chief of staff James Blair, told Trump that many Republicans were opposed, and aides showed him a letter signed by 22 senators urging against it, White House officials said.
Much of the opposition was based on purely political grounds, with considerations of medicinal merit seemingly little concern. The President also heard from many people, who held views in favor of rescheduling marijuana. Trump reiterated his executive order did not legalize marijuana; only changes its classification. The order will likely boost medical research on marijuana’s effects. The move will also allow cannabis businesses to deduct operating expenses and gain access to the banking system.
Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia allow marijuana for medical purposes. The move to reschedule marijuana makes regulations consistent with state laws in those states but will not change the legal status in states where it is currently banned. Recreational marijuana is legal in about half of states (24). A critical issue is whether cannabis has any medicinal benefit. The following is from Healthline:
Many people rely on medical cannabis for pain management or to ease symptoms associated with chronic conditions, but new research questions whether there’s any real benefit.
A recent review published in JAMA found that the evidence to support the use of cannabis and cannabinoids for most medical indications is insufficient.
Why is evidence of medical benefit lacking? It is not because rigorous testing has found it lacking. Rather, it is both difficult and makes little sense to run clinical trials on an illegal, Schedule I drug. One researcher told Healthline:
“Based on my clinical experience and review of the literature over the last decade, I find that the lay public grossly overemphasizes the benefits of cannabis, while the media/scientific world grossly underestimates the benefits of medical cannabis.”
Of course, without rigorous study over many years, no professional medical organization can recommend cannabis as a primary treatment for medical conditions.
The American College of Physicians does not recommend cannabis-based treatment as the first option for pain management, despite that many people rely on cannabis to treat chronic pain.
Other professional medical organizations have guidance against the use of cannabis-based treatment for the management of symptoms and conditions ranging from MS spasticity, insomnia, dementia, and cancer pain.
For one thing, professional medical societies cannot point to rigorous research showing health benefits. Another reason could be political pushback if medical groups recommended a drug illegal under federal law. Finally, in many states there is no straightforward way to administer medical marijuana.
The move by President Trump to reclassify marijuana as a controlled substance rather than an illegal drug makes a lot of sense. Three quarters of states already allow some type of medicinal use of marijuana. Yet, without federal action, medical researchers find it difficult to study the effects – good or bad – of marijuana. An outcome may well be that researchers find cannabis (the whole plant) is not beneficial, but drugs made from the active ingredient have medicinal benefit. In any case, there are benefits to finally making federal laws consistent with most state laws and facilitating scientific research. The arguments against Trumps executive order seem both shallow and partisan.
Read more at WSJ: How Trump became the unlikely champion of easing marijuana restrictions
Healthline: Medical Cannabis: Which Conditions Does It Actually Help?