SPOKANE, Wash. – President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at easing federal restrictions on marijuana.
The order directs the DEA to reclassify cannabis as a Schedule Three drug, placing it alongside drugs like Tylenol with codeine, ketamine and testosterone. This change does not fully legalize recreational use.
The reclassification of cannabis from a Schedule One drug, such as heroin and ecstasy, opens the door for more research into its medicinal uses.
This development is expected to cut red tape for researchers including Ryan McLaughlin at Washington State University. McLaughlin, who has been studying cannabis for over a decade, shared his thoughts with NonStop Local’s Morgan Ashley on how the order will impact research.
“Because up until now, universities really, even in legal states like Washington, had to really tiptoe around federal law. And so we’ve had to obtain really special approvals and maintain really high security research facilities to even handle very small amounts of cannabis for the studies that we do. And that process can be extremely lengthy and can be discouraging to research as well,” said McLaughlin.
McLaughlin’s research explores both the medical benefits and the risks associated with cannabis use during certain developmental periods, such as adolescence and pregnancy. He noted that public perception of marijuana remains a significant obstacle, alongside the rules and regulations governing these studies.
According to the White House, the lack of appropriate research on medical marijuana leaves patients and doctors without adequate guidance for prescribing or using it for certain conditions.
Polling from Gallup indicates a shift in public opinion, with more Americans supporting a less restrictive approach to marijuana. In 2005, 36 percent of people supported legalization, and just last year, that number jumped to 68 percent.
