Colorado’s governor says marijuana reform “is not really a political issue” any more, but there are still “stodgy, nanny-state Republicans who want control it”. He also says the prohibition of cannabis has hindered scientific research, which is why it remains strictly criminalized on the federal level.
Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, hopes that this will change sooner than later. This week, he and five other governors sent a letter from President Joe Biden urging officials to reschedule cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act by the end of this year.
In an interview with Fox News Radio on Thursday’s “The Guy Benson Show”, Polis stated that he would have liked to see federal policy changes five or ten years ago, when states like Colorado legalized adult use. However, Polis theorized that the prohibition created a situation whereby the “chicken and egg” theory has effectively stymied the reform of cannabis by making it difficult to conduct research into its effects, a stalemate which has been reinforced through congressional politics.
He said that the administrative marijuana scheduling review Biden conducted last year might help to break this policy impasse. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has already decided that cannabis should move from Schedule I to Schedule III. Now it is up to the Drug Enforcement Administration to make a decision.
When asked why it took so long, Polis replied “I don’t understand!” “I think this should have been done at least five or ten years ago.”
He said that while marijuana was still illegal, the necessary research was not done to support the argument. “But there is enough research now to make this case.” It’s not even that far-fetched. There’s a lot of background.”
The governor stated that the “only legitimate reason” behind the delay was because “it took some time for the research and reality to catch up, due to the chicken and egg.” You couldn’t even get research funded by academics because they wouldn’t touch it. I believe we are getting there and there is enough data to support the reclassification.
HHS released a number of documents related to its review that it conducted before making the recommendation for reclassifying marijuana. The material, while largely redacted speaks to the existing research that the agency was capable of assessing to support the therapeutic potential cannabis.
Of course, moving cannabis to Schedule III would not make it federally legal. Polis argued that the modest tax reform would normalize tax policies for state-legal businesses. For example, it would allow them to claim federal deductions to avoid paying effective tax rates of up to 80 percent.
The governor also said that partisan politics played a role in the perpetuation of prohibition, even though a majority of states had legalized marijuana to some extent, with bipartisan support growing.
@GovofCO believes that it is time to legalize marijuana for medical purposes and that the DEA must act. Listen to and read this interview.
: https://t.co/zJx51tymQP
: https://t.co/OPQYOEpEz7
The Guy Benson Show December 7, 2020
He said that there were some libertarian Republicans in Congress who fully supported the idea, but there were also some nanny-state Republicans, who wanted to control. “Democrats are generally more pro-legalization–there’s absolutely some that are not–but it’s not really a partisan issue.”
“At the very end, it’s a question of personal responsibility and making decisions.” “That’s what Colorado chose,” he continued. “We are just saying that the federal government should respect federalism. “Every state does not have to do it. But for those that do, let the federal government get out of the way.”
He also said that despite federal research limitations it is well established that marijuana has a role as a therapy, and that it shouldn’t be classified in Schedule I. Schedule I is a category for drugs that have no known medical benefits and high abuse potential.
Polis stated that even opioids can be prescribed for therapeutic purposes. “Obviously, marijuana does not have the same danger or addiction as opioids. It’s a simple recognition of [HHS]’s scientific findings. It’s a recommendation but the DEA must act.”
In September, Polis also applauded the president after HHS made its cannabis rescheduling recommendation–though he emphasized that the initial move must be followed with more action to address cannabis banking, immigration, criminal justice reform and federal enforcement concerns.
He said that this should include developing Food and Drug Administration guidance clarifying the fact that FDA will not interfere with state-legal cannabis activities.
Polis has also called on legislators to take steps that will allow him to grant mass pardons to people who have prior convictions for psychedelics, after he passed legislation in May to implement new regulations for substances such as psilocybin and ayahuasca .
In June, the governor also signed into law a bill that allowed online marijuana sales. This reform took effect in August.
Recently, he also approved legislation that will strengthen marijuana-related protections in the state for working professionals–effectively codifying a executive order he released last year.
Photo by Mike Latimer.
The post Colorado’s Governor: Marijuana Prohibition Created a ‘Chicken And The Egg Research Dilemma’ That’s Blocking Federal Reform first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
