U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said that cannabis’ federal Schedule I classification should be reconsidered, Marijuana Moment reports.
Dr. Adams spoke at a Q&A session during a conference held by the Police Assisted Addiction Recovery Initiative in Massachusetts.
“Just as we need to look at criminal justice laws, rules and regulations, we need to look at health laws, rules and regulations, and that includes the scheduling system. … I’ll take it somewhere else: marijuana. We need to look at the way we schedule different medications across the board, because one of the concerns that I have with marijuana is the difficulty that the folks have to do research on it, because of the scheduling system.” — U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, via Marijuana Moment
Adams has not shown support for any cannabis-specific issue beyond research. He has, however, shown disbelief for the plant’s usefulness as an opiate off-ramp, despite evidence to the contrary. While he has favored other drug harm-reduction strategies, Adams’ position seems to be mostly against full adult-use cannabis legalization.
It has been observed by many before that, outside of reasons for legalization or other issues, at the very least cannabis’ Schedule I Classification is a hindrance for research into either side of the issue. An endorsement for rescheduling by the nation’s top doctor is favorable as we inch closer to an end to the federal war on cannabis.