Fat Nugs Magazine & Beard Bros Pharms Talk Reschedule: Views from Independent Cannabis Media
Written in collaboration with the FNM Team & Beard Bros Pharms
Art Courtesy of Dustin Hoxworth
As we’ve all heard, seen and read by now, the DEA is taking an unprecedented step to reschedule cannabis as a Schedule III drug (maybe). Opinions as to whether this move by the Fed is good or bad are all over the place. So instead of just releasing another article that basically states the same things everyone has already read, as a team we wanted to share our personal opinions on the possible historical move and also get Bill and Jeff Levers of Beard Bros Pharms take on it.
Keep in mind that these are just opinions. We are not lawyers, lobbyists or pharmaceutical experts by any means. But what we are is a group of people who love cannabis and have been around this plant for a long time. We honor and respect the plant and the culture that surrounds it, and believe wholeheartedly that it can save the planet and all of us with it. So with that said, check out some of our personal thoughts on the matter, and we encourage you to share your thoughts as well.
Dustin Hoxworth Founder & Editor-at-large Fat Nugs Magazine
For as long as I can remember, I wished for weed to be legal. That way I could stop worrying about going to jail and my family and friends could just go about living normal lives. My vision of legalization included simple, easy and safe access to beautiful, high quality, craft flower at fair prices, and of course homegrow. That's it. Never did I imagine it being controlled by Big Pharma or Corporate America, but unfortunately that's the only thought I keep coming back to.
While I appreciate the Biden Administration at very least stepping up to the plate, I think they're reluctant to actually swing the bat. I believe this is probably just another political stunt for votes in an election year, just as we’ve seen time and time again. I want to be positive about this because I know that this could likely eliminate some ridiculous tax codes like 280E that have been eating away at profits for years, and I know there will be some possible positives around access and maybe even less arrests (I hope), but I think I'm more cautiously optimistic than anything else. Is it a true step in the right direction or is it something else? And if it is something else what does that look like?
I believe rescheduling has the potential to be positive, but I have an odd feeling that it’s just a simple and inviting bridge to the pharmaceutical industry to control individual state markets through the courts and be the only players with interstate commerce rights.
I don't know how or if that would happen, but as we all know, corporate America, their lawyers, and the influence they have over every single decision in our country is real. And I don't know about you, but to have the same people who have shit on cannabis consumers, support lies about the plant, and do everything they could to keep cannabis illegal for decades, should not be allowed to own this industry.
Let's hope this move doesn't screw all the hard working people that have been building the industry to begin with. We all deserve better than a corporate takeover and the government continuing to play with people's lives. So I'm left wondering if this move will ultimately just create more issues. Guess that remains to be seen.
Jessica Reilly-Chevalier Editor-in-chief Fat Nugs Magazine
The rescheduling announcement begs the question: is any progress good progress?
This is not easy to answer. On the one hand, this is some of the biggest movement we've seen the federal government make around cannabis for decades. It is some semblance of acknowledgment that over half of Americans live where cannabis is legal, and time and time again voters have chosen to remove restrictions surrounding the plant.
On the other hand - what does the federal government do right, like, ever? Moving cannabis to a Schedule III status is the barest of the bare minimum. The only way they could do less is by doing nothing at all.
There are a lot of unknowns about this movement. Will it get rid of 280E? Will cannabis companies be able to bank and accept credit cards? How will changes in the federal status of weed affect state-run programs? We simply don't know - and we won't know until it plays out fully.
It is high time that the federal government got behind the will of the people on this, and on other matters. Drugs have won the war on drugs and people want weed. But if one thing has proven true time and time again, it's that not every move the government calls "progress" truly is. How will this play out for our industry? I guess we’ll see.
Bill Levers Co-Founder Beard Bros Pharms
Here at Beard Bros, we see this as both an incredible positive from a medical and financial standpoint and, at the same time, a possible game ender for many currently in the cannabis industry. Moving cannabis to schedule III seems to be no more than a glorified "Safe Banking Act" with some limited research possibilities. This does nothing to include or provide a means of entry for the current state recognized cannabis industry that has been developing for more than a decade, in spite of federal illegality.
Schedule III does nothing to release nonviolent cannabis prisoners or make any repairs from the discrimination caused by the war on drugs.
How is this going to reconcile the differences between state and federal licensing and regulation? If anyone who endeavors to be in the cannabis industry now has to have a Federal Drug Manufacturing License. That would be a death knell for most current companies, large or small.
Daniel Crawford Chief Operating Officer Fat Nugs Magazine
Reschedule? Deschedule? What does it all really mean?
There is a reason cannabis has been classified as a Schedule I drug alongside LSD and other
government deemed non-medicinal substances. There is a reason cannabis is about to be
rescheduled to a Schedule III drug. Has the government finally come to their senses and now
see the medicinal values of cannabis or are there alternative motives?
Election season, stale choices for candidates, razor thin margins. I worry this will lead to
unforeseen consequences and will reduce our beloved plant to a sterile pharmaceutical product only to be sold and profited from.
Cannabis is a plant. It should be allowed to grow freely as it always has.
You may think, “Finally, some action!” It’s a step, but is it a step in the right direction? Only time will tell.
Kellie Frederick Cultural Director Fat Nugs Magazine
I’m reading a lot of opinions that rescheduling marijuana will lead to fewer restrictions, but my personal opinion is that anything less than removing cannabis from the classification of “drugs” and the list of controlled substances is a mistake.
Every time the government gets involved, they fuck it up. Putting the government in charge of anything is a mistake. They’ve fucked up healthcare and education and everything else they’ve gotten involved with.
And most of these people know nothing about cannabis except that it can get you high. There’s all this “new” information about terpenes, cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system, but people look at me with a glazed over expression when I start using these words to talk about the plant. Quite a few people have dedicated themselves to learning about cannabis and every single one of them will tell you we haven’t even scratched the surface on information. There’s just so much more to learn that the plant can teach us.
Sungrown is best. Homegrown is best. Organic is best.
I’m looking forward to the day when we can all legally grow cannabis as an herb at home, like we would grow basil or rosemary or aloe. Until then, a bunch of government regulations are going to cause a lot of harm and confusion.
Access to safe, legal, therapeutic alternative medicine should not be based on geographic location. No one should be arrested or incarcerated for cannabis. Rescheduling is going to be a clown show.
Jeff Levers Co-Founder Beard Bros Pharms
Like most people who grew up in the 1980s, we’ve been inundated with the messages from D.A.R.E, Just Say No, and This Is Your Brain On Drugs since we first learned to read. That negative stereotype around the plant has been ingrained in us from such an early age, that anything that moves away from that level of judgment feels like forward progress. It’s one of the main reasons that descheduling was never taken seriously as an option by the feds, and why so many seem happy with the move to Schedule III.
This actually has the feel of a game of Three Card Monte, and the federal government just keeps moving the money card around for us to stay perpetually chasing it. It also smacks of being a political ploy leading into the election cycle, much like it was four years ago.
We’ve already seen the White House try to manipulate the situation to claim that Biden is fulfilling his promises from 2020, but we know that to be simple lip service.
So while I would like to feel all warm and fuzzy about the move to Schedule 3 like so many others do, I am definitely keeping a skeptical attitude until we know more about the proposed rollout and details of the plan, and if there will still be a seat at the table for small and medium sized operators to survive.
June Blankin Account Manager/Event Coordinator Fat Nugs Magazine
While Health and Human services has made the recommendation, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) still needs to review before it actually happens. This request was made by the Biden Administration in Oct of 2022. Almost 2 years have passed and we’re just now getting to potential movement. Sure, I have a suspicion this may speed up since we are in an election year for our next President, but the Federal Government only moves fast when it is to their benefit.
There are pros and cons, and it will immediately help cannabis businesses with tax relief, but I want to see that trickle-down to the workers in this industry that deserve better wages by far!
The needle moved ever so slightly, I’m happy for that. I think we can all agree this plant should have always been available to anyone who wanted or needed it, never stigmatized, and never illegal. I want to see safe, affordable access for everyone, no more prisoners of cannabis. My fingers are crossed that Schedule III will be short lived to no schedule at all. It took 50 years since cannabis was put on Schedule I to get here, let’s hope the next move takes far less time.
Casey Renteria Program Manager & Artist Fat Nugs Magazine
I don’t think anything is black & white and to act as if it is would be ignorant. As much as I work towards making a space where cannabis is treated like every other plant we cultivate, I know realistically we aren’t there as a society and the road will be long and ugly.
I can dance with cannabis in the 5D but here it's still very stigmatized, under-studied, over-simplified, and under-appreciated. Do I want it on any schedule? Fuck no! But I think it’s important to look around and see where we stand in the 3d reality we live in and the fact is we aren’t there yet. Any step we can take that gets us closer to freeing the plant is a step in the right direction.
That being said I don’t think any decisions the 1% are making are designed to help anyone and to think they are doing this for the betterment of anyone but themselves is again ignorant at best. Legal is legal regardless of the games that are being played and as long as the voices are there and platforms like this exist, the culture will eventually take over and we will see a day where cannabis is treated no differently than a wildflower.
Kyea Mofire Photographer & Grower Fat Nugs Magazine
Hopefully the push towards reclassifying cannabis is a promising step towards creating a more inclusive community for cannabis users everywhere. As someone who supports this movement, I will send positive vibes to those fighting for this cause. However, I can't help but remain skeptical of a government that still promotes incarceration for cannabis-related offenses. Despite this hesitation, I am hopeful for a brighter and more inclusive future for the cannabis community. Maybe with eventual declassification, the stigma and prejudice surrounding cannabis use will dissipate, and individuals will no longer be criminalized for a substance that has shown potential for medicinal purposes. Let us continue to raise awareness and fight for a more equitable and less convictable cannabis community, for the benefit of all.
Nigel Despinasse Sales, Writer, Contributor Beard Bros Pharms & Fat Nugs Magazine
When it comes to our favorite plant, every decision that the government makes will always have a good, bad, and ugly attached to it. Many if not all of us would prefer descheduling as opposed to a reclassification to Schedule III, and I think that’s extremely fair to feel that way. I share those sentiments as well, BUT I do think we’re making progress towards something better legally for operators. 280E will hopefully be done and people in the space can reduce their tax burden by a significant degree.
I know that with Schedule III comes a whole host of regulatory changes like pharmacies, packaging, labeling, and advertisement that will completely change the existing infrastructure, but I do want to pose a question to everyone. Thirtyeight states have legalized cannabis, twentyfour of which being adult use. Each state has chosen the infrastructure in which to have a cannabis market and have it regulated, why and how would the government nuke this existing structure? I am of the opinion that they won’t, in the same way that it would be near impossible to take away everyone’s guns (cue someone telling me that guns are constitutionally protected and cannabis isn’t).
There are still endless oppression dynamics at work within all of this. MSO’s who have war chests to lobby the powers that be, pharma companies who want to use this as a means to get into the industry and create IP around this plant, and individuals who will look to rape this plant and industry for whatever profit they can.
I think as an industry we should continue to push for descheduling, push for more research, and push to have a more equitable market geared towards people being able to make their own decisions around this plant. Do I think schedule III is the best step? No. Do I think it’ll give some type of relief to an over regulated and overtaxed industry? Yes, even though it’s going to be even MORE over regulated than before.
The trap will never die so long as the plant lives caged.