Cannabis Rescheduling Defined On Michigan Marijuana Today
Cannabis Rescheduling Defined On Michigan Marijuana Today
ANN ARBOR – On April 23, the Department of Justice issued an order to reschedule medical marijuana in states from I to III. But that’s about all we know for sure since the order didn’t go into great detail on what that means.
So Michigan Marijuana Today focuses on that order and what it could mean long term not only for medical marijuana, but also recreational marijuana.
On the show was cannabis attorney Scott Robers, senior corporate counsel for Oak Law.
He was joined by co-host Tim Beck from the Safer Michigan Coalition and co-host Mike Brennan, Editor and Publisher of MITechNews, which provides a wealth of business cannabis coverage.
A major federal marijuana policy shift announced April 23 is much narrower than our earlier headlines suggested—and for Michigan’s $3 billion recreational cannabis market, the immediate impact is very limited.
The U.S. Department of Justice, working with the Drug Enforcement Administration, has moved to reclassify state-licensed medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug under federal law.
But the change applies only to medical cannabis, not adult-use recreational marijuana, and it is not yet final.
That distinction is critical.
Michigan operates one of the largest recreational cannabis markets in the country, generating more than $3 billion annually. But the DOJ’s current action does not apply to that market. Only to medical marijuana that accounts for less than 1 percent of monthly cannabis sales in Michigan.
“This is about medical marijuana,” said Scott Roberts, a cannabis attorney with Oak Law in Detroit. “Adult-use cannabis is not part of this announcement.”
Roberts said the move reflects a federal acknowledgment that cannabis has accepted medical value—but it stops well short of broader legalization.
Founder of Michigan News Network, and serves as CEO, as well as Editor & Publisher of MITECHNEWS.COM. Brennan has worked since 1980 as a technology writer at newspapers in New York, NY, San Jose, CA., Seattle, WA., Memphis, TN., Detroit, MI., and London, England. He co-founded and served as managing editor of Pacific Rim News Service (SEATTLE), which developed a network of more than 100 freelance journalists in 17 Asia-Pacific countries.
