Last time we checked, cannabis was still a Schedule I narcotic in Minnesota. Why? Because, according to the statute, it has, like heroin, “A high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.”
At least the last of those two is false. Minnesota is in the midst of establishing a medical cannabis program and 21 other states, plus D.C., have their own on the books. Other states, like Utah, allow for the use of CBD-rich oil to treat certain ailments.
Noting this, Kurtis Hanna, a cannabis activist, has presented a petition to the regulatory
agency in charge of classifying cannabis: the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy. He’ll present his argument at the board’s December 10 meeting.
The board has twice rejected Hanna’s assertion that cannabis ought to be removed from the Schedule I designation in Minnesota, claiming a change would put Minnesota at odds with the feds. Then the board turned around and successfully lobbied the state legislature to remove its own rule-making authority.
The Blotter has more.