Will Medical Marijuana Soon be Legalized Nationwide?

How  long will it be until the United States government recognizes cannabis as a medicinal, useful plant, and not just an abused drug? You’d be interested to know that states aren’t the only ones accepting cannabis in various forms – the U.S. government has actually been close to legalizing marijuana.

While many states in the U.S. have successfully passed bills “legalizing” marijuana for medical and even recreational use, cannabis is still illegal on a nation-wide, federal level. In fact, cannabis is still classified as a Schedule I drug with “no medicinal value,” along with heroin, LSD, and ecstasy. But recurring evidence is showing that this could all change very soon.

In 2015, tucked deep inside a 1,603-page federal spending measure was a provision that would effectively end the federal government’s prohibition on medical marijuana while protecting those working with it from federal consequences.

The proposal puts into effect the Obama Administration’s ‘hands-off approach’ to medical marijuana to a new level by completely protecting states partaking in medical marijuana from any federal prosecution.

The bill marked the first time Congress approved nationally-significant legislation backed by legalization advocates, shoving aside almost two decades of tension between the states and Washington over medical use of marijuana.

“This is a victory for so many,” said the measure’s coauthor, Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa. The measure’s approval, he said, represents “the first time in decades that the federal government has curtailed its oppressive prohibition of marijuana.”

Under the provision, states with legal medical marijuana would no longer need to worry about federal drug agents raiding retail operations. Agents would be prohibited from doing so.

“The war on medical marijuana is over. Now the fight moves on to legalization of all marijuana. This is the strongest signal we have received from Congress [that] the politics have really shifted. … Congress has been slow to catch up with the states and American people, but it is catching up,” said Bill Piper, a lobbyist with the Drug Policy Alliance, who called the move historic.

The Bill Showcased 5 Key Points:

• Marijuana would no longer be considered a ‘Schedule I’ drug with ‘no medicinal value.’ As of now, marijuana is grouped with heroin, ecstasy, and LSD – all of which are considered to have no medicinal value. The bill would lower marijuana to a ‘Schedule II’ group, which are drugs that are still dangerous and likely to be abused, but do have medicinal use.
• It would become easier to transport marijuana between states.
• Banks would more easily be able to provide services for those working with medical marijuana.
• The bill would open more doors expanding the possibilities in marijuana research, which would come from a National Institute on Drug Abuse reform.
• Doctors working for the Department of Veterans Affairs in states where medical marijuana is legal would be able to recommend it for certain conditions.

Read: Key Marijuana Case may Lead to Nationwide Reclassification

Under the 5-part DEA test, a drug only has “currently accepted medical use” if:

• “The drug’s chemistry [is] known and reproducible;
• There [are] adequate safety studies;
• There [are] adequate and well-controlled studies proving efficacy;
• The drug [is] accepted by qualified experts; and
• The scientific evidence [is] widely available.”

Around this time, 23 states legalized medical marijuana, and Colorado and Washington legalized marijuana for recreational purposes.

If passed, the proposal would be the most significant level of marijuana reform in the United States since prohibition.