Did you know there is an approved CBD based prescription?

What is a scheduled 1 drug and why Cannabis should be declassified?

In the United States, drugs are classified into schedules according to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which was enacted by Congress in 1970. The CSA classifies drugs based on their potential for abuse, their medical use, and their safety.

Schedule 1 drugs are considered to have the highest potential for abuse and no accepted medical use in the United States. Examples of Schedule 1 drugs include heroin, LSD, and marijuana.

Why should Marijuana be declassified?

One of the reasons a drug is classified as a scheduled 1 drug is that there is no accepted medical use in the United States. However, in 2018, the U.S. approved Epidiolex, a CBD-based prescription, for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Epidiolex is derived from cannabis, specifically the CBD used in Epidiolex is extracted from the Cannabis sativa plant.

When did Cannabis become illegal?

The criminalization of cannabis in the United States began in the early 20th century, with individual states enacting laws prohibiting the possession, sale, and use of the plant. In 1937, the federal government passed the Marijuana Tax Act, which effectively criminalized the possession, sale, and use of cannabis at the federal level.

The Marijuana Tax Act imposed a tax on the transfer of cannabis, which made it too expensive and cumbersome to obtain legal access to the plant. This led to widespread noncompliance with the law and the rise of black markets for cannabis.

Since then, there have been efforts to reform cannabis laws, with some states legalizing medical or recreational use of the plant. While cannabis remains illegal under federal law, its sister plant hemp was legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill, as it defined as cannabis with less than 0.3% THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the psychoactive compound in cannabis that produces a "high." CBD can be derived from hemp and is legal if it meets certain requirements, such as containing less than 0.3% THC.

Why does this matter and who does it impact?

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, in 2020 over a half million people were arrested for marijuana-related offenses in the United States. Cannabis is a drug that has shown to have medical use and thus it should be declassified. Our hope at Righteous Hemp Co is that lawmakers would take action to legalize Cannabis and remove the negative stigma associated with cannabis and hemp so that more individuals can take advantage of its benefits.