William Morgan
The latest step in the move towards the legalization of cannabis at the federal level took effect yesterday, when the US Department of Justice reclassified the drug as a Schedule III substance.
"The Department of Justice is delivering on President Trump's promise to expand Americans' access to medical treatment options," acting attorney general Todd Blanche said in a statement announcing the change.
He added: "This rescheduling action allows for research on the safety and efficacy of this substance, ultimately providing patients with better care and doctors with more reliable information."
This move bring the federal government closer to the majority of US states that have already legalized the sale of cannabis, it is still worth remembering that weed is a recreational drug that has an immediate impact on your body from the minute you rip the bong, or the edible starts to hit.
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The way cannabis exhibits in users is entirely dependent on the strain, the amount, and the way it’s consumed.
For example, if you smoke cannabis, Healthline dictates it could take between two to ten minutes to begin showing. However, edibles can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours to effect your body.
Essentially, once the THC psychoactive compound enters the blood stream, it can immediately begin to speed your heart rate by 20 to 50 beats per minute for several hours, as per WebMD.
From there, you might get red eyes thanks to blood vessels in the eyes dilating. Part of the reason weed is so effective is that the active compounds in the plant have a natural path through your body, called the endocannabinoid system.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the substance in weed that gets you high, is able to bind to receptors in this system, responsible for mood regulation and appetite, and trigger the release of dopamine, making you high.
By 20 minutes, the THC will be fully absorbed if you have smoked it, and if you ate edibles, it will be longer than that as it needs to be metabolized by the liver. Once that’s completed, the brain will be stimulated with pleasure and euphoria, leading the user to feel relaxed.
But in some people, or some strains, it can actually make people feel anxious and they’ll panic.
Some people go on to get the munchies, where they’ll feel suddenly hungry as the THC stimulates the olfactory bulb, which boosts taste and smell, leading to the brain to think it’s hungry.
Around 30 minutes in, you’ve probably reached the peak of your high, which can then last from five to six hours.
But be warned, your judgement can be impaired for up to 24 hours, leading you to lack your full concentration potential. If you partake in dabbing (pipes and bongs), it usually lasts around one to three hours as you take a quick and concentrated hit.
Reclassification would mean that cannabis stays illegal on a federal level - but it makes it easier for scientists to access and conduct studies to assess its health benefits.
Meanwhile, businesses selling medicinal marijuana will see a huge tax break. Gillian Schauer, executive director of the Cannabis Regulators Association, told NPR: "This could move the effective tax rate or tax liability for medical marijuana businesses from 70 or 80 percent down to 20 or 30 percent."
Ultimately, many will be hoping rescheduling cannabis is the first step to eventually legalizing it.
Dr Carl Hart, a psychologist and neuroscientist from Columbia University explained to BBC News: "When you legalise a compound, far more people would go to the legal market, just because it's simple and people don't have access to the black market. The illicit market would certainly dwindle."
The definition of a Schedule III drug is: "Drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.
"Schedule III drugs abuse potential is less than Schedule I and Schedule II drugs but more than Schedule IV.
"Some examples of Schedule III drugs are: products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine per dosage unit (Tylenol with codeine), ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone."