Legalize it

[Zorro]

Get the federal government away from marijuana, and let the states sort it out.

President Donald Trump is going green. On Thursday, he plans to sign an executive order to loosen restrictions on marijuana. That’s fine, but it’s going to do little to fix America’s overall approach to the drug. It would be better to legalize pot federally and let states decide if they want to restrict it any further.

Cannabis is classified as Schedule I, the strictest enforcement category under the Controlled Substances Act. Trump wants to move it to Schedule III, which means it would still be illegal for recreational purposes but could be used in approved, highly regulated medical settings. The Biden administration attempted to make the change last year, but administrative reviews prevented it from going into effect.

Rescheduling would be a tax windfall for marijuana businesses currently unable to claim deductions for operating expenses, such as rent, payroll and marketing. A Schedule III classification allows sellers to write those costs off on their taxes. Anyone interested in helping cannabis corporations make more money — and seeing a lot more advertising for their products — will be thrilled.

But it also raises thorny legal questions. Manufacturers of controlled substances are supposed to register with the Drug Enforcement Administration, which is responsible for strictly regulating the products. Given that the federal government has not approved cannabis products for any medical purposes — and that the bulk of the industry’s products are recreational and still technically illegal — it’s unclear how such a framework could ever work.

https://wapo.st/44tqGAs