The American Bar Association (ABA) has recently adopted a resolution that allows states to set their own cannabis policies without federal interference. The ABA takes it a step further and recommends that cannabis should be rescheduled or completely de-scheduled under federal law.
While veering away from outright stating that marijuana should be legalized, this resolution is seen as a big step in that direction.
The ABA
The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the country, with approximately half a million members.
Why This Resolution?
The primary reason for the ABA’s resolution is an attempt to find some clarity among the murkiness of the conflicting laws between the state and federal cannabis policies.
Cannabis is still illegal under federal law, yet has been decriminalized and legalized in one form or another in 40 states. As most everyone in the cannabis industry knows, this conflict creates hardships while trying to establish a cannabis-based business.
Even though cannabis may be legal in a certain state, the federal policy still causes issues:
- banking services
- high federal tax rate
- no federal protection for trademarks
However, the resolution also leans heavily on rescheduling cannabis for medicinal purposes, which in our opinion outweighs all other cannabis advantages.
Current Situation
As it currently stands, cannabis is a Schedule I drug under federal law.
This is a not only a outdated policy, but also cruel to the millions of people who can benefit from the medicinal aspects of marijuana and don’t have access because of their own state’s laws.
Schedual 1 Drugs
As a Schedule I drug, the restrictions are so strict that most scientific research on the medicinal properties of cannabis is prohibited. One of the definitions of a Schedule I drug is that it has ‘no currently accepted medicinal use’.
The ABA has recognized that at the very least, cannabis must be taken out of Schedule I.
What the Resolution Hopes To Accomplish
The resolution calls on Congress to establish a basic federal framework for state cannabis programs, and offers ways to avoid the current conflicts. As part of this framework is opening up research into cannabis, which would require cannabis to be de-scheudled out of Schedule I.
“As greater scientific knowledge of the benefits and harms of marijuana develops, Congress and the states can work together to ensure that the benefits of marijuana can be realized while the harms of the drug are properly addressed. Encouraging careful scientific study of marijuana will be beneficial regardless of the direction of marijuana law reform in the future.”
Directly from the Resolution
Our Stance
At Grow America Builders, we are obviously proponents of cannabis, but more importantly we are well aware of the benefits of medical cannabis and all that it has to offer.
This ABA resolution could be the first step towards de-scheduling cannabis and providing medicinal cannabis to all those in need.