California lawmakers have passed a joint resolution demanding that the federal government removes marijuana from the list of Schedule I narcotics.
Recreational marijuana sales are set to begin early next year in California. This will create the largest adult-use market in the United States.
Unfortunately, it will likely all be done with federal authorities casting a large shadow over the industry. Marijuana remains a Schedule I narcotic in the eyes of the federal government but it appears California lawmakers are getting a bit tired of the uncertainty.
The California Assembly, by a vote of 60-10, passed a resolution demanding that federal officials reclassify marijuana.
“The Legislature urges the Congress of the United States to pass a law to reschedule marijuana or cannabis and its derivatives from a Schedule I drug to an alternative schedule, therefore allowing the legal research and development of marijuana or cannabis for medical use,” the resolution read.
The time for reform seems long overdue. Classifying marijuana in the same dangerous category as heroin or LSD makes trusting the federal government on other drug-related issues difficult.
While there has been anxiety from patients and industry members since legal marijuana started 1996, tensions have risen higher since the Trump administration took office. Several members of the president’s cabinet are against marijuana reform including Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
California may be the largest market to come online but they will not be the last state to do so. Currently, there are 8 states that have legalized recreational marijuana and 29 states that have approved medical marijuana.
