Marijuana has a lower potential for abuse than other drugs that are subjected to the same restrictions, with scientific support for its use as a medical treatment, researchers from the US Food and Drug Administration say in documents supporting its reclassification as a Schedule III substance.

Marijuana is currently classified as Schedule I, reserved for the most dangerous controlled substances, including heroin and LSD. In 2022, President Joe Biden asked US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and the attorney general to begin the administrative process of reviewing how marijuana is scheduled under federal law. HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Adm. Rachel Levine wrote a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration in August in which she supported the reclassification to Schedule III, a list that includes “drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence” such as ketamine, testosterone and Tylenol with codeine.

Rescheduling marijuana could open up more avenues for research, allow cannabis businesses to bank more freely and openly, and have firms no longer subject to a 40-year-old tax code that disallows credits and deductions from income generated by sales of Schedule I and II substances.

      • RuBisCO@slrpnk.net
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        8 months ago

        Psychedelics are illegal not because a loving government is concerned that you may jump out of a third story window. Psychedelics are illegal because they dissolve opinion structures and culturally laid down models of behaviour and information processing. They open you up to the possibility that everything you know is wrong.

        Terence McKenna

      • ZeroCool@slrpnk.net
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        8 months ago

        I took acid once. I giggled a lot and led my friends on an “adventure” into my backyard where we played hacky sack until it got dark enough to watch the stars. It was awful! You don’t want no part of this shit, Dewey!

          • remotelove@lemmy.ca
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            8 months ago

            Psychedelics are awesome. If you don’t have much experience with them, keep it to a moderate dose. I eat mushrooms quite a bit and a single dose at +5g would rock my world still.

            In a healthy environment with a healthy mindset, you can discover a ton about yourself and how your mind works. Or, you can just have fun and socialize.

            I use mushrooms medicinally and recreationally. If I want to chill and meditate I can. If I want to be social and have fun, I can. Regardless of my mood, they have been an awesome tool for managing my anxiety, social anxiety and depression. Best of all, it has been a key component in my recovery from alcoholism.

            They are not for everyone, unfortunately. If you are not prepared for an accidental high dosage, it can be challenging. (There is so much variability in mushrooms, it can happen. Not so much with with substances like LSD.)

        • Jay@lemmy.ca
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          8 months ago

          I used to love acid when I was younger. I bought 30 hits of blotter just for my 18th birthday for me and my friends. Never hallucinated like some people claim but had tons of energy and it made everything feel so… real? and vibrant. Shrooms were cool but just not nearly on the same level.

          You definitely want to plan ahead and make sure you’re surrounded by good company and plenty to do beforehand though.

          • Nastybutler@lemmy.world
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            8 months ago

            Of all the drugs I’ve done, which isn’t too many, acid is my favorite. Haven’t done it since I was in college over 20 years ago. If I knew how to get my hands on some, I’d consider doing it again occasionally. Best body high I’ve ever had.

  • stinky613@lemmy.sdf.org
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    8 months ago

    It’s inherently problematic that the DEA is in charge of scheduling

    Rescheduling marijuana would likely lead to a lower budget for the DEA… No way is the DEA going to voluntarily lower the scheduling of such a widely used drug

    • Habahnow@sh.itjust.works
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      8 months ago

      They don’t get money based on how many drugs are illegal. Not to mention, they like to go after big dealers which some will continue to import illegally or grow it in illegal ways. The DEA will still come after them.

      • stinky613@lemmy.sdf.org
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        7 months ago

        They get money based on the resources needed to tackle illegal drug manufacturing/sales/usage

        The more widely used an illegal drug is, the more resources they need to fight it

  • Marxism-Fennekinism@lemmy.ml
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    8 months ago

    Reminder that the most dangerous drug in terms of deaths caused per capita is alcohol. Refined sugar and HFCS probably has alcohol’s numbers beat if you consider that a drug though.

    • kromem@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      When I wasn’t in a position to decide my own client list, I used to hate working for some of the large companies with high sugar products. Felt like consulting for Philip Morris or something. I remember one corporate HQ had giant posters in their cafeteria talking about how scientists didn’t find a causative relationship between sugar and childhood health complications, and it felt just like the classic “nine out of ten doctors recommended XYZ brand cigarettes.”

  • Bonehead@kbin.social
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    8 months ago

    This is nothing new. Nixon commissioned a report that said the exact same thing 50 years ago.

  • _number8_@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    i have a feeling biden will finally get this done right before the election. hopefully this will mobilize the young enough to combat the hoards of jug hooters

  • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    At this point I trust cannabis more than I trust HFC. No one is trying to sneak cannabis in my food and cannabis doesn’t make me fat.

  • HiddenLychee@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Wait, Ketamine and lean are schedule three* drugs? I thought those were pretty addictive and pretty damaging?

    Edited number

  • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    8 months ago

    Marijuana is currently classified as Schedule I, reserved for the most dangerous controlled substances, including heroin and LSD.

    Fucking christ lmao.

  • MaxPow3r11@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    It never should have been “classified” or “scheduled”.

    Or alcohol should be schedule 1.

    Cannabis being a “schedule 1” drug (one of the safest drugs we can consume) while alcohol (an extremely dangerous [to society and individuals] drug that is also addictive) is UNSCHEDULED and PROMOTED is beyond absurd.

    Make anything make sense.

  • tory@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    This article seems to imply that stopping heavy marijuana use can lead to withdrawal symptoms.

    Yeah, I’m calling bullshit on that.

    • wsweg@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      The body is going to react to anything that it stops getting after it has been getting it consistently. Caffeine is perfectly legal and I get bad migraines from quitting it.

    • Cracks_InTheWalls@sh.itjust.works
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      8 months ago

      Irritability, sleep problems, night sweats, appetite issues, etc. These are 100% withdrawl effects for some heavy or frequent cannabis users who stop cold turkey.

      Is it cocaine or heroin withdrawl? Absolutely not. But we don’t do anyone any favours pretending that people don’t experience these symptoms when stopping (though, on the other hand, not everyone does. Depends how heavy/long you’ve been imbibing and individual differences in body chemistry).

      • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        Crazy vivid dreams after stopping long term use as well.

        Not necessarily a negative withdrawal effect, although the sudden vivid dreams can be extra scary if the dreams aren’t happy dreams

      • tory@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        That’s about it. I am getting a good amount of pushback from people who very much like the idea that being able to dream again and not being high are withdrawl.

        And sure, they’re all technically correct in the most pedantic way.