www.marijuanamoment.net
Open in
urlscan Pro
2606:4700:3037::6815:5db5
Public Scan
URL:
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/colorado-governor-says-marijuana-prohibition-created-a-chicken-and-the-egg-research-dilemma-that...
Submission: On December 08 via manual from US — Scanned from US
Submission: On December 08 via manual from US — Scanned from US
Form analysis 3 forms found in the DOM
GET https://www.marijuanamoment.net/
<form method="get" id="searchform" action="https://www.marijuanamoment.net/">
<input type="text" name="s" id="s" value="Search" onfocus="if (this.value == "Search") { this.value = ""; }" onblur="if (this.value == "") { this.value = "Search"; }">
<input type="hidden" id="searchsubmit" value="Search">
</form>POST
<form id="mc4wp-form-2" class="mc4wp-form mc4wp-form-869" method="post" data-id="869" data-name="Marijuana News In Your Inbox">
<div class="mc4wp-form-fields">
<p>
<label>Email address: </label>
<input type="email" name="EMAIL" placeholder="Your email address" required="">
</p>
<p>
<input type="submit" value="Sign up">
</p>
</div><label style="display: none !important;">Leave this field empty if you're human: <input type="text" name="_mc4wp_honeypot" value="" tabindex="-1" autocomplete="off"></label><input type="hidden" name="_mc4wp_timestamp"
value="1702066382"><input type="hidden" name="_mc4wp_form_id" value="869"><input type="hidden" name="_mc4wp_form_element_id" value="mc4wp-form-2">
<div class="mc4wp-response"></div>
</form>POST
<form id="mc4wp-form-3" class="mc4wp-form mc4wp-form-869" method="post" data-id="869" data-name="Marijuana News In Your Inbox">
<div class="mc4wp-form-fields">
<p>
<label>Email address: </label>
<input type="email" name="EMAIL" placeholder="Your email address" required="">
</p>
<p>
<input type="submit" value="Sign up">
</p>
</div><label style="display: none !important;">Leave this field empty if you're human: <input type="text" name="_mc4wp_honeypot" value="" tabindex="-1" autocomplete="off"></label><input type="hidden" name="_mc4wp_timestamp"
value="1702066382"><input type="hidden" name="_mc4wp_form_id" value="869"><input type="hidden" name="_mc4wp_form_element_id" value="mc4wp-form-3">
<div class="mc4wp-response"></div>
</form>Text Content
* Politics
* Science & Health
* Culture
* Business
* Video
* Newsletter
* Subscribe
* Remove Ads
* Bill Tracking
* About
* Login Instructions
* All 2023 Cannabis Bills
* Bill Hearing Calendar
* About Marijuana Moment
* Support Marijuana Moment
* Subscribe To Newsletter
Connect with us
*
*
*
MARIJUANA MOMENT
COLORADO GOVERNOR SAYS MARIJUANA PROHIBITION CREATED A ‘CHICKEN AND THE EGG’
RESEARCH DILEMMA THAT’S BLOCKED FEDERAL REFORM
* Politics
* Montana Judge Hears Arguments Over Governor’s Veto Of Marijuana Revenue
Bill
* California Campaign To Legalize Psychedelics Submits Final Version Of
Proposed 2024 Ballot Measure
* Colorado Governor Says Marijuana Prohibition Created A ‘Chicken And The
Egg’ Research Dilemma That’s Blocked Federal Reform
* Medical Marijuana Growers And Caregivers Can Own Guns, But Patients Can’t,
FBI Says In Little-Noticed Memo
* Senator Presses Top Bankers On Their Commitment To Social Equity In
Marijuana Banking Reform
* Science & Health
* LSD And Psilocybin Could Be Powerful Treatments For Pain—Without Opioids’
Dwindling Effects Over Time, Study Says
* Psilocybin’s ‘Efficacy And Safety’ For Bipolar II Depression Demonstrated
By American Medical Association Study
* Study Finds ‘No Evidence’ That Medical Marijuana Causes Cognitive
Impairment In Patients With Chronic Health Problems
* States Where Marijuana Is Illegal Typically See Higher Rates Of Treatment
Admissions, Federal Study Says
* Top Federal Agency Promotes New Marijuana Research Center Amid Scientists’
Complaints About ‘Complex’ Study ‘Barriers’ Under Prohibition
* Culture
* SXSW Announces 2024 Lineup, Leaning Into Psychedelics While Nixing
Cannabis Track
* Jimmy Kimmel Proclaims October 20—Snoop Dogg’s Birthday And Midpoint To
4/20—As New Marijuana Holiday Called ‘DoggFather’s Day’
* NCAA Panel Formally Recommends Removing Marijuana From Banned Substances
List For College Athletes
* Illinois Concert This Weekend Will Be State’s First To Allow On-Site
Marijuana Consumption
* World Anti-Doping Agency Experts Say Marijuana Use Violates The ‘Spirit Of
Sport’ And Makes Athletes Unfit Role Models
* Business
* Trade Group Offers Guidance To Marijuana Businesses On How To Find Banking
Services Amid Federal Prohibition
* Illinois Marijuana Retailers Set Record For Sales To In-State Residents,
Selling Most Individual Cannabis Products In Any Month Since Launch
* Missouri Marijuana Workers Push To Unionize Dispensaries Despite
Resistance From Management
* California And New York State Officials Tell People To Buy Marijuana On
Black Friday
* Missouri Marijuana Businesses Have Sold More Than $1 Billion In Cannabis
Products In 2023
* Video
* Senator Presses Top Bankers On Their Commitment To Social Equity In
Marijuana Banking Reform
* Key GOP Congressman Says Washington, D.C. Should Be Able To Legalize
Marijuana Sales Without Federal Interference
* Ohio Senate Approves Bill To Allow Marijuana Sales From Dispensaries
‘Immediately’, Keep Home Grow And Expunge Records
* Ohio Senate Committee Advances Bill To Eliminate Marijuana Home Grow,
Reduce Possession Limits And Raise Taxes—Days Before Legalization Takes
Effect
* Ohio GOP Senate President Outlines Plan To Amend Voter-Approved Marijuana
Law Next Week, Days Before Legalization Takes Effect
* Newsletter
* Interstate cannabis commerce bill in Congress (Newsletter: December 8,
2023)
* DEA threatens pharmacies over cannabis (Newsletter: December 7, 2023)
* Govs push Biden on cannabis rescheduling by end of year (Newsletter:
December 6, 2023)
* OH cannabis homegrow targeted for repeal (Newsletter: December 5, 2023)
* Feds’ cannabis report deadline (Newsletter: December 4, 2023)
* Subscribe
* Remove Ads
* Bill Tracking
* About
* Login Instructions
* All 2023 Cannabis Bills
* Bill Hearing Calendar
* About Marijuana Moment
* Support Marijuana Moment
* Subscribe To Newsletter
POLITICS
COLORADO GOVERNOR SAYS MARIJUANA PROHIBITION CREATED A ‘CHICKEN AND THE EGG’
RESEARCH DILEMMA THAT’S BLOCKED FEDERAL REFORM
Published
3 hours ago
on
December 8, 2023
By
Kyle Jaeger
The governor of Colorado says that while marijuana reform is “not really a
partisan issue” anymore, there are still “stodgy nanny state Republicans who
want to control it.” Meanwhile, he says, ongoing prohibition has inhibited
research into the science of cannabis that’s kept it strictly criminalized at
the federal level.
Gov. Jared Polis (D) is hoping that will change sooner rather than later. He and
the governors of five other states sent a letter to President Joe Biden this
week, urging officials to reschedule marijuana under the Controlled Substances
Act (CSA) by the end of the year.
In an interview that aired on Fox News Radio’s “The Guy Benson Show” on
Thursday, Polis said he would’ve liked to see a federal policy change five or 10
years ago as states such as Colorado enacted adult-use legalization, but he
theorized that prohibition itself created a “chicken and the egg” situation that
has effectively stymied reform by making it harder to conduct research on the
effects of cannabis, a stalemate that has been reinforced by congressional
politics.
The administrative marijuana scheduling review that Biden directed last year
could help break that policy logjam, he said. The U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) has already determined that cannabis should be moved from
Schedule I t0 Schedule III, and now it’s up to the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) to make a final determination.
https://static.foxnews.com/radio.foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/12/gov-polis.mp3
“I don’t know!” Polis exclaimed when asked why it’s taken so long to get to this
point. “I think it should’ve been done five to 10 years ago.”
“Now, part of the problem is, while marijuana was illegal, it’s been hard to
have the research that was needed to be able to make the case based on data,” he
said. “But now there’s a sufficient body of research to do this. I mean, I don’t
think it even goes too far out on a limb. There’s plenty of background.”
“The only legitimate reason” for the delay is that “it took a while for the
research to catch up with the reality, because of the chicken and the egg,” the
governor said. “I mean, you couldn’t you couldn’t get academic-funded research
because they couldn’t touch the stuff. So I think we’re getting through that and
there’s enough data there to support this reclassification.”
To that end, HHS did release a trove of documents this week related to the
scientific review it carried out before making its marijuana rescheduling
recommendation. While the material is largely redacted, it speaks to the
availability of existing research the agency was able to assess that support the
therapeutic potential of cannabis.
Moving cannabis to Schedule III wouldn’t federally legalize it, of course. But
Polis pointed out that the modest reform would help normalize tax policy for
state-legal businesses—for example, allowing them to take federal deductions so
they’re not forced to pay effective tax rates reaching 80 percent.
Meanwhile, even though the vast majority of states have legalized marijuana at
some level, with growing bipartisan support, the governor said partisan politics
in Congress has also played a certain role in perpetuating prohibition.
“I mean, there are absolutely libertarian-minded Republican members of Congress
that fully support this—but there are also kind of stodgy, nanny state
Republicans who want to control,” he said. “Democrats are generally more
pro-legalization—there’s absolutely some that are not—but it’s not really a
partisan issue.”
“At the end of the day, this should be a matter of personal responsibility and
decision-making. That’s what Colorado has chosen,” he added. “We’re just saying,
let the federal government respect federalism. Every state doesn’t have to
choose to do it, but for those who do, get the federal government out of the
way.”
He also argued that, regardless of federal research limitations, it’s well
established at this point that marijuana “absolutely has its role” as a
therapeutic, meaning it should not be classified as Schedule I, a category
reserved for drugs with no known medical value and a high abuse potential.
“Even opioids have a therapeutic use under prescription,” Polis said.
“Obviously, marijuana is not nearly as dangerous or addictive as opioids. So
it’s simply a recognition of the scientific facts coming out of [HHS]. That’s
the recommendation, but the DEA needs to act.”
In September, Polis also applauded the president after HHS made its cannabis
rescheduling recommendation—though he emphasized that the initial move must be
followed with more action to address cannabis banking, immigration, criminal
justice reform and federal enforcement concerns.
That should include developing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance
clarifying that it will not interfere in state-legal marijuana activities, he
said.
Meanwhile, Polis has also called on lawmakers to take steps to allow him to
issue mass pardons for people with prior psychedelics convictions after he
signed legislation to implement regulations for substances like psilocybin and
ayahuasca in May.
The governor also signed a bill into law in June that allows online marijuana
sales. That reform went into effect in August.
He also recently approved legislation that will bolster marijuana-related
protections for working professionals in the state—effectively codifying an
executive order he issued last year.
> Medical Marijuana Growers And Caregivers Can Own Guns, But Patients Can’t, FBI
> Says In Little-Noticed Memo
Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.
Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our
cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon
pledge.
Related Topics:featured
Up Next
California Campaign To Legalize Psychedelics Submits Final Version Of Proposed
2024 Ballot Measure
Don't Miss
Medical Marijuana Growers And Caregivers Can Own Guns, But Patients Can’t, FBI
Says In Little-Noticed Memo
Kyle Jaeger
Kyle Jaeger is Marijuana Moment's Sacramento-based managing editor. His work has
also appeared in High Times, VICE and attn.
YOU MAY LIKE
Montana Judge Hears Arguments Over Governor’s Veto Of Marijuana Revenue Bill
California Campaign To Legalize Psychedelics Submits Final Version Of Proposed
2024 Ballot Measure
LSD And Psilocybin Could Be Powerful Treatments For Pain—Without Opioids’
Dwindling Effects Over Time, Study Says
Medical Marijuana Growers And Caregivers Can Own Guns, But Patients Can’t, FBI
Says In Little-Noticed Memo
Senator Presses Top Bankers On Their Commitment To Social Equity In Marijuana
Banking Reform
Interstate cannabis commerce bill in Congress (Newsletter: December 8, 2023)
Advertisement
MARIJUANA NEWS IN YOUR INBOX
Email address:
Leave this field empty if you're human:
SUPPORT MARIJUANA MOMENT
*
*
*
* About Marijuana Moment
* Subscribe
* Sponsorship and Advertising
* Privacy Policy
All the cannabis news you need, all in one place. Copyright © 2017-2024
Marijuana Moment LLC ® and Tom Angell
Information from your device can be used to personalize your ad experience.
Do not sell or share my personal information.
A Raptive Partner Site
MARIJUANA NEWS IN YOUR INBOX
Email address:
Leave this field empty if you're human:
Marijuana Moment
✕
Do not sell or share my personal information.
You have chosen to opt-out of the sale or sharing of your information from this
site and any of its affiliates. To opt back in please click the "Customize my ad
experience" link.
This site collects information through the use of cookies and other tracking
tools. Cookies and these tools do not contain any information that personally
identifies a user, but personal information that would be stored about you may
be linked to the information stored in and obtained from them. This information
would be used and shared for Analytics, Ad Serving, Interest Based Advertising,
among other purposes.
For more information please visit this site's Privacy Policy.
CANCEL
CONTINUE