BY RAYMUNDO W. LO, MD, FPSP May 20, 2024
The recent Senate committee report on the legalization of cannabis as medicine was signed by 13 senators which moves the bill closer to being passed by the Senate. Alongside this significant event is the American Congress passing a bill decriminalizing marijuana possession and use. Further, US President Biden has moved to reclassify cannabis as a low-risk drug, which will remove it from the Schedule 1 drugs list under the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule 1 drugs are heroin, LSD and ecstacy, really bad stuff compared with marijuana. The move puts marijuana in the schedule drug list which contains ketamine, codeine and other painkillers which is considered to have low to moderate likelihood of dependence.
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It is sincerely hoped that our lawmakers will take that into consideration when they start debating marijuana decriminalization, not just medical marijuana which is a no-brainer (No Laughing Matter, May 23, 2023). The economic implications of legalizing marijuana should also be taken into account, with the prospects of new industries, reduced costs of enforcement and higher tax revenues. Not a bad thing at all!
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