For more than 50 years, dozens of “controlled substances,” including various pharmaceutical products as well as marijuana, cocaine, heroin and everything in between, have been shoe-horned into five statutory “Schedules,” according to various criteria set in federal law. While some of these categorizations make sense, others do not. Marijuana (technically, tetrahydrocannabinols or THC, which is the operative chemical in the marijuana plant) falls into the latter category — and perhaps it’s time to revisit this aspect of the “Controlled Substance Schedules.”

THC is currently classified at the highest level, that is, as a Schedule I controlled substance — on par with heroin and LSD and having “no currently accepted medical use.” Even those of us who don’t think recreational marijuana use is a good idea can agree that the current scheduling is absurd and erodes institutional trust.

Frankly, it is time to reschedule........

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