AUSTIN, Texas — In a historic move, the U.S. Drug and Enforcement Administration (DEA) is moving to reclassify medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug, according to the Associated Press.
The plan would not legalize marijuana at the federal level, but it would reclassify it from a Schedule I drug – like cocaine, which is believed to be highly dangerous and addictive – to a Schedule III drug that can be lawfully prescribed as medication, like Tylenol with codeine.
“It’s an exciting time,” said Dr. Mathew Brimberry, a family physician, fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and medical director of Texas Cannabis Clinic.
He has been part of the fight to expand medical marijuana in Texas. Right now, medical marijuana usage is legal but limited in potency and illnesses that qualify. Brimberry believes if medical marijuana is reclassified there will be a lot of benefits.
“This will give us better rigorous studies on how to use this medicine,” Brimberry said. “It’ll destigmatize it. And it’ll also open it up for more patients to have access to it in a safe and legal manner.”