Pediatric Pharmacist | Educator | Cannabis Science | Chief Science Officer of The Cannigma | Advisor | Advocate
Descheduling cannabis is a step, but does it protect patients? The idea of descheduling cannabis has gained significant traction, (as my post yesterday shows) and while it’s an important step forward, descheduling alone might not be the comprehensive solution that patients need. At least that is what Americans For Safe Access thinks, and I agree! Descheduling cannabis would remove it from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), effectively decriminalizing it nationwide. However, this approach could leave patients (at least in some states) vulnerable to inconsistencies in quality and access—challenges that we've seen time and time again with loosely regulated markets. On the other hand, rescheduling cannabis—placing it in a lower schedule under the CSA—keeps it under strict federal control, which can stifle innovation and limit patient access by continuing to treat cannabis like a dangerous substance that requires the same oversight as harmful drugs. Both options have significant drawbacks that could hinder the progress we've made in recognizing cannabis as a legitimate medical treatment. This is where the Medical Cannabis & Cannabinoid Act of 2024 (MCCA) comes in as a superior alternative. Rather than simply rescheduling or descheduling cannabis, the MCCA proposes creating a new and specialized agency—the Office of Medical Cannabis & Cannabinoid Control (OMC)—under the Department of Health and Human Services. This agency would be distinct from the FDA, which has historically been biased and slow to adapt to the evolving landscape of cannabis research and medicine. The OMC would focus exclusively on the unique needs of medical cannabis patients, ensuring that regulations are tailored specifically to this industry rather than forcing it to fit into the outdated models designed for other substances. The MCCA also introduces Schedule VI, a new category that would allow for complete decriminalization of cannabis while still providing the necessary oversight to protect patient safety. Schedule VI would ensure that cannabis can be cultivated, manufactured, and distributed without the restrictions that come with the current scheduling system, but with safeguards to maintain high standards of quality, consistency, and access. This legislation is crucial because it strikes a balance between removing unnecessary criminal penalties and maintaining a structure that prioritizes patient care. By setting up the OMC and creating a new regulatory framework under Schedule VI, the MCCA offers a path forward that recognizes cannabis as the medicine it is, ensures it is accessible to those who need it, and protects patients from the pitfalls of both unregulated markets and overly restrictive federal control. If you're ready to support a future where cannabis is treated with the respect and care it deserves, especially for the millions of patients who rely on it, comment "I want to help ASA support" below, and I'll DM you details on how you too can help!
Who exactly is funding Americans For Safe Access these days? And in the future?
I want to help ASA support
I am from Peru were we have an historical and cultural use of coca leaves. And we solved the issue allowing free acces to coca leaves (the natural form) but banning cacaine, Crack or cocaine basic paste. Also people can cultivate their own coca plants. I think the key factor was that in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador the plant was not stigmatized so it was easy to keep the planta and ban cocaine or derivates.... that are two different things.
Trent Hancock
6mo
Descheduling does all that, because Pharma would be free to make all the products they want to. Adult use should be restricted to the plant itself and simple forms of extraction, while leaving all synthetics, isolation of specific compounds, and complex extraction methods to Pharma. (Just my thoughts on it)
kim meloy
6mo
I want to help support! Please DM me.. this is phenomenal
Thanks, Codi, for keeping the conversation going! Here are four ways folks can learn more & get involved: 1. Tell your federal reps that you want to see comprehensive federal legislation: www.safeaccessnow.org/safeaccess4all 2. Engage federal candidates before they get the job: TheCompassionateCandidate.org 3. Come to DC in Sept(or sponsor someone else to) SafeAccessNow.org/Validated_Voices 4. Direct Support: SafeAccessNow.org/Donate
How can I contribute? I have some extra time at the moment 😉💚🌱
I would like to know a lot more about what this new bureaucracy would be protecting me from
Hemp OG • Inc 500 1993 • Pioneer in Hemp’s first billion-dollar segment: food • Vegan food producer since 1980, Hemp food since 1994 • Consult the Hemp Consultant your Hemp Consultant consults • Aka: "The Hemp Nut"
6moWhy ANY Schedule class for what even DEA called "one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within a supervised routine of medical care." Drug delivery systems like pills and inhalers perhaps, but the last thing you want is FDA regulating plants with 500 active compounds in them when they spent the last 52 years saying it was dangerous and had no medical value.