Britt Opportunity for Change: Rescheduling Cannabis

While my colleagues and I have ongoing debates to allow for medical cannabis legislation this session, there is another debate happening in Washington that is starting to get some attention about the opportunity for common sense cannabis reform that can have a positive impact in North Carolina.

In 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended that cannabis be rescheduled from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug. This change would remove barriers to research allowing for much-needed data on the benefits of cannabis use and it would create greater access to medical cannabis for patients, including our veterans.

President Donald Trump has also advocated for this change, further pointing to bipartisan support from our leaders. In a social media post from 2024, he stated his support for rescheduling cannabis and unlocking its “medical uses.”

Given the broad support that cannabis reform receives from voters and leaders across party lines, federal agencies should take consideration of the President’s position and work to move this policy forward, not get in the way of progress.

The current classification of cannabis does not align with scientifically proven facts.

For years, doctors and patients have used cannabis to treat conditions such as chronic pain, epilepsy and PTSD. The evidence on its therapeutic benefits has been so compelling that 38 out of 50 states allow the use of medical cannabis.

While many Americans would benefit from rescheduling cannabis to Schedule III, one group that stands to benefit greatly from it is our veterans.

Veterans experience higher rates of PTSD and chronic pain as a result of their service to our country. Many veterans rely on the VA to receive medical care and if there are no changes to the classification of cannabis, veteran access to cannabis will continue to be limited as cannabis cannot even be discussed as an option for treatment.

Not moving forward with the rescheduling of cannabis would be detrimental to medical research. As it stands, scientists face many obstacles when it comes to conducting studies on the effects of cannabis, including applying for special licenses and navigating red tape.

These barriers make it more difficult to collect necessary data that would allow for a better understanding of the benefits of cannabis.

If scientists and doctors are able to conduct extensive research, then legislators and leaders like myself would be able to make informed decisions when introducing legislation regarding cannabis use in our states.

In the North Carolina Senate, I have been an advocate for policies that allow for the use of medical cannabis, because I know that there are certain conditions that cannot otherwise be treated or that have very limited treatments options.

With President Trump and the majority of Americans on board for cannabis reform along with the evidence to back the medicinal uses of cannabis, bureaucratic leaders have no reason to impede this change from being finalized.

We have an opportunity to create significant change for Americans across the country and we should seize it now.