COLORADO, USA — The Department of Health and Human Services is recommending the Drug Enforcement Administration ease restrictions on marijuana.
The DEA recognizes marijuana as a Schedule I drug right now, alongside heroin, LSD and ecstasy. The move would classify marijuana as a Schedule III drug, alongside ketamine, anabolic steroids and codeine. Local dispensaries said it brings some benefits, but it has a fair share of drawbacks.
“Right now we are just waiting to see,” said Clif Gordon, the manager at Herban Underground in Denver.
One benefit is cannabis businesses would be allowed to take tax deductions.
“Allow us to operate like a normal business, I can write off my employees, my payroll costs, I can write off the furniture in my store, I can write off the square footage in my store,” Gordon said. “I can't do that right now.”
Former Colorado Democratic Congressman Ed Perlmutter also said this will help with the stigma associated with the use of marijuana and research.
“You really can't research it while it's a Schedule I drug, it's even illegal to research it,” Perlmutter said. “Without researching it and seeing the pluses and the minuses in a very controlled fashion, that's a problem now.”
Gordon said one of the downsides could possibly be more testing and more testing means more costs for dispensaries.
“We would probably see more mom and pops go the way of the dinosaur and we’d all be replaced by bigger companies who can afford the costs involved with testing, with standardization,” said Gordon.
Gordon wants a change. He wants marijuana removed from the list of controlled substances altogether.
“I think we all expect to get rescheduled, I think all of us want it to be descheduled,” Gordon said. “It would change everything, it would treat us just like we are a tobacco store or a liquor store and if that were to happen, it would make the industry a lot easier.”
Now, it’s up to the DEA to make a decision.
“I don't know what's going to happen next and honestly, I don't think anyone else does,” Gordon said.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS