CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is looking to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, changing it from a schedule I drug to a schedule III.
But what will that difference mean for state dispensaries and consumers?
“We’ve already set up some regulations on THC. So hopefully, we continue to push those laws a little further,” Josh Manning says.
The DEA defines schedule I as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
This is where marijuana currently sits, along with heroin and LSD.
A schedule III substance is defined as drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence, such as ketamine and testosterone.
A recent study showed that, in 2022, daily or near daily marijuana use outweighed the use of alcohol for the first time.
That study reported a roughly 3 million user gap.
Marijuana use is not legal in Tennessee.
But would this reclassification change things for byproducts of THC that are already sold in the state?
Proponents say it could open up new doors for dispensaries in Tennessee.
Josh Manning, owner of Snapdragon Hemp, says…
“To be compared on the same lines as meth and heroin and stuff, it’s ridiculous. And it kind of always has been.”
Hemp is defined as a cannabis plant that contains 0.3 percent or less THC, which Manning says his dispensary sells.
“Every time we sell products that have THC in it, we pay 6% back to the state for doing so,” Manning says.
Manning says the classification of marijuana has caused some roadblocks, specficially with advertisement.
“Our Facebook and Instagram page get taken down every, like, four to eight months,” Manning says.
He says it also causes troubles with banking services.
“Everything’s going good. And all of a sudden, one day, you get a call, and it’s like, ‘you can no longer take credit cards today.’ Holy crap,” Manning says.
Manning says reclassification could resolve these issues, but also bring more regulation in the process.
“A potential negative could be that maybe we have to have a pharmacist on staff during open hours while dispensing is happening,” Manning says.
Manning admits there’s still work to be done.
“To be scheduled as a schedule III wasn’t what we really wanted. We would prefer to de-schedule completely.”
Members of the House Committee on Agriculture recently approved an amendment that would redefine hemp in the 2024 Farm Bill, making the hemp-derived intoxicant market illegal.
The 2024 Farm Bill draft is still in its early stages, and the Senate has yet to release its own full version.
H/T: newschannel9.com
