As the United States moves to reclassify marijuana as less dangerous, could more states legalize it?

As the U.S. government moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, there may be little immediate impact in the dozen states that have yet to legalize cannabis for widespread medical or recreational use. the adults.

But supporters of marijuana legalization hope that a change in federal regulations could eventually change the minds and votes of some state policymakers who have been reluctant to embrace the herb.

READ MORE: What Marijuana Reclassification Means for Americans

It's very common for a state legislator to say to me, 'Well, maybe I could support that, but…I'm not going to vote for something that's illegal under federal law,'” Matthew said Schweich, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for cannabis legalization.

Even though a proposal to reclassify marijuana would not make it legal, it is a historic and significant change at the federal level that I think will give many state legislators a little less hesitation to support a bill, Schweich added.

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration has proposed moving marijuana from a Schedule I drug, which includes heroin and LSD, to a less strictly regulated Schedule III drug, which includes ketamine and certain anabolic steroids. Federal rules allow certain medical uses of Schedule III drugs. But the proposed change faces a lengthy regulatory process, which may not be completed before the presidential election.

Meanwhile, the proposed federal change could add new arguments to supporters of ballot measures to legalize marijuana. Florida voters will vote next November on a constitutional amendment authorizing recreational cannabis. Public votes could also take place in several other states, including South Dakota, where supporters plan to submit signatures Tuesday for a third attempt at legalizing recreational marijuana.

After two previous failed attempts, a group in Nebraska is gathering signatures to place two measures on this year's ballot: one to legalize medical marijuana and another to allow private companies to grow and sell it.

In North Dakota, criminal defense attorney Mark Friese is a former police officer who supports a ballot initiative to legalize marijuana. He said the proposed federal reclassification could greatly help this year's initiative campaign. North Dakota voters rejected legalization measures in 2018 and 2022, but approved medical marijuana in 2016.

Ultimately, this decision will allow for intelligent, informed debate on cannabis legislation instead of succumbing to the historical objection that marijuana is a dangerous drug like LSD or black tar heroin, Friese said .

Others aren't sure reclassification will make a difference.

Jackee Winters, president of an Idaho group supporting a ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana, said it was difficult to get potential supporters to sign their petition.

In Idaho, people are literally afraid to sign anything that has to do with marijuana, she said. They're afraid the cops will come to their house.

The proposed federal change could have little effect in 24 states that have already legalized recreational marijuana for adults, or in 14 other states that allow medical marijuana. But advocates hope it could sway opinion in a dozen other states that ban cannabis altogether or have limited access to products with low levels of THC, the chemical that gets people high.

READ MORE: What is cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome? Here's what you need to know and why experts say it's on the rise

Georgia has allowed patients with certain illnesses and with a doctor's approval to consume low-THC cannabis products since 2015. But until last year, there was no legal way to buy them. Eight dispensaries now sell these products.

The Georgia Board of Pharmacy last year also issued licenses for low-THC products to 23 independent pharmacies, but the federal DEA in November warned pharmacies that dispensing medical marijuana violated federal law.

Dawn Randolph, executive director of the Georgia Pharmacy Association, said a federal reclassification of marijuana could pave the way for pharmacists to treat marijuana products like all other prescription medications.

In other states, like Tennessee, elected leaders are still hesitant to support medical or recreational marijuana. Tennessee Senate President Randy McNally, a Republican, has previously said he would not support changing state law until the federal government reclassifies marijuana.

But after reports of the DEA's recommended reclassification, McNally was still hesitant to support any attempt to legalize medical marijuana.

Removing marijuana from Schedule I drugs would just start the conversation in my mind. That wouldn't end it. There would still be many issues to resolve if downlisting to Annex III occurs as proposed, he said Thursday.

A proposal to legalize medical marijuana died in a Kansas Senate committee without a vote this year, and an attempt to force a debate on the full Senate largely failed. The strongest and most influential opposition has come from law enforcement officials, who have expressed concerns that any legalization could encourage organized crime and make it difficult to assess driving under the influence.

Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Tony Mattivi considers the DEA's efforts to reschedule marijuana to be misguided and politicized, KBI spokeswoman Melissa Underwood said.

South Carolina's state police chief also opposed efforts to legalize medical marijuana, saying it opens the door to the use of other drugs. A legalization bill backed by Republican Sen. Tom Davis passed the Senate this year but stalled before a House committee.

It's hard to rethink many people who have been conditioned to think about marijuana in a certain way, said Davis, who pledged to again promote a medical marijuana bill next year if he was re-elected.

While not fully embracing medical marijuana, Iowa and Texas both have laws allowing limited access to certain cannabis products containing low levels of THC. Some Texas cities have passed ordinances allowing the use of small amounts of marijuana. But a similar effort in Lubbock, home of Texas Tech University, was ridiculed in a Facebook post by Republican state Rep. Dustin Burrows as part of a national effort by the left to undermine security public.

In Wyoming, a decade of pro-marijuana efforts through ballot initiatives and laws have gone nowhere. Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, has been ambivalent about legalizing medical marijuana and opposes legalizing recreational pot. The Republican-led Legislature hasn't even debated the latest bill to decriminalize marijuana and legalize medical marijuana.

Still, one organizer, who contributed to unsuccessful petitions in 2022 and 2023, hopes the federal reclassification of marijuana will inspire more lawmakers to support legalization.

Resistance will be much less palpable, said legalization advocate Apollo Pazell.

Associated Press writers Jeff Amy in Atlanta, Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska, Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho; Acacia Coronado in Austin, Texas; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota, Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming, John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, and Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed this report. .

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