The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is expected to move toward recognizing marijuana's medical uses and its lower potential for abuse than most dangerous drugs.
VIRGINIA, USA — A historic shift in the country's drug policy could be on the horizon.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration is expected to recommend that marijuana be considered a less dangerous drug. This proposal would have ripple effects across the country, but what about the Commonwealth?
The DEA's new proposal would recognize marijuana's medical uses and make it less likely to be abused than some of the nation's most dangerous drugs.
While it won't completely legalize recreational use, it could significantly change the country's stance on marijuana.
“So I think this has a lot of interesting implications,” said Dr. Leslie Kochel, associate professor of political science at Virginia Wesleyan University.
Cowell said the biggest impact will be on states that have already legalized marijuana to some degree, unlike Virginia. But she said it will likely send a message to courtrooms across the country.
“If you classify marijuana in the same way that pharmacists classify drugs as expenses, you can imagine it would be difficult for prosecutors to impose very harsh sentences,” Coell said. .
He said restrictions on marijuana research could be loosened in Virginia.
Dr. Eric Cravill, a political expert who teaches at Norfolk State University, said the changes could make the idea of marijuana sales more palatable to the commonwealth in the future.
“However, given the current political environment here in the Commonwealth, I do not believe that will be an option anytime soon,” Mr Cravill said.
Despite efforts by state lawmakers, Gov. Glenn Youngkin has said he has no interest in moving forward with marijuana sales.
“As a commonwealth, if we want to make changes to this new law, we're going to have to wait until the next governor's administration and we're going to have to see the General Assembly,” he said.
The White House Office of Management and Budget still needs to review the proposal, followed by a public comment period and review by an administrative judge before the final rule is published.
