Driving down Route 195 to Providence, you鈥檙e sure to notice banners and billboards advertising marijuana and places to find it. This ubiquity is rare for a drug considered by the to have 鈥渘o currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.鈥�
On Aug. 29, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a for the DEA to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug. In exploring the social implications of this proposed change, The Herald interviewed scientists from Brown on their research and what it may look like in years to come.
Though cannabis contains over 500 known chemical compounds, two psychoactive chemicals are especially well-researched: cannabidiol, or CBD, and tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which gives marijuana its euphorigenic qualities.
In 2018, 鈥檚 definition of 鈥渉emp鈥� paved the way for legalizing medical marijuana and adult use across the United States. According to an in the New England Journal of Medicine, only three states have no legalized form of marijuana today.
Cannabis is widely used, with using the drug recently. April 20 on College Hill is 鈥渟ort of like a Super Bowl for stoners,鈥� The Herald previously reported.
Daily marijuana use also reached an all-time high in 2022 among Americans, according to a 2023 by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
But cannabis remains classified as a under the Controlled Substances Act, rendering it and all derived products illegal at the federal level. This classification is shared by highly abused substances including heroin, LSD and MDMA.
Schedule III drugs are defined as 鈥渄rugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence,鈥� such as anabolic steroids and testosterone, to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
The Food and Drug Administration鈥檚 support of the proposed change hinges on .
Lauren Micalizzi, an assistant professor of behavioral and social sciences at Brown鈥檚 Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, explores the effects of prenatal cannabis exposure on expecting mothers and their fetuses. In a series of emails to The Herald, Micalizzi expressed cautious optimism about reduced administrative research barriers that the proposed change might entail, citing fewer obstacles in studying Schedule III drugs as opposed to Schedule I.
Since the use of cannabis while pregnant can lead to legal ramifications for users, 鈥減regnant people may be less likely to seek prenatal care or to disclose their substance use to healthcare providers due to fear of judgment or legal repercussions,鈥� wrote Micalizzi, adding that they 鈥渕ay also experience stigma and judgment from family members, friends and healthcare providers.鈥�
This has led to a lack of scientific evidence for marijuana鈥檚 use during pregnancy due to decreased 鈥渉ealth-seeking behaviors,鈥� according to Micalizzi. 鈥淔ear of negative consequences associated with the disclosure of cannabis use, such as the experience of stigma and mandated reporting, are barriers to conducting this research in pregnant populations.鈥�
鈥淢oving to a Schedule III 鈥� has the strong potential to reduce stigma associated with the use of cannabis, which is good,鈥� Micalizzi wrote.
But Micalizzi emphasized that even though the proposed category change can increase pregnant people鈥檚 confidence in discussing their use of cannabis with their physicians, providers are required to make reports to Rhode Island鈥檚 Department of Children, Youth and Families if they鈥檙e involved in the care of infants affected by drug exposure.
鈥淧unitive policies can reduce health-seeking behaviors, negatively impact the health of the birthing person and child and result in a widening of racial and ethnic disparities in DCYF reporting,鈥� she added.
Rachel Gunn, an assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, also pointed to the potentially positive research implications if marijuana is rescheduled.
鈥淭he cannabis retail market is taking off, and we need to be able to study the variety of modalities and products individuals are currently using with less restriction,鈥� she wrote in a series of emails to The Herald.
Gunn began to examine cannabis use when studying alcohol use among college students, observing 鈥渢he prevalence and impact of other substance use among those who drank heavily.鈥�
Gunn has observed mixed evidence on the effects of combining alcohol and marijuana. 鈥淚n treatment populations, there has been a recent increase in patient populations reporting that cannabis is an effective 鈥榮ubstitute鈥� for drinking,鈥� she wrote, adding that she is interested in continuing to study these effects under potential drug rescheduling.
Like effects of combining alcohol and marijuana, many cannabis-related questions have nuanced answers and require further research, according to Gunn. For example, conditions like psychosis also have an association with marijuana, she wrote.
While 鈥渃annabis use is associated with worsening depression over time,鈥� Gunn wrote, 鈥減atients are increasingly reporting cannabis (as) helpful for several mental health symptoms, including depression and anxiety, especially in the morning.鈥� Despite some illustrating stark dangers, more research is needed to better understand the apparent two-sided effects of marijuana, she added.
According to Gunn, expanded research is among the 鈥渃lear benefits鈥� of moving marijuana to schedule III.
But the history of the drug鈥檚 classification is complex, said Zoe Brown, project coordinator in the Micalizzi Lab in the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies.
In an email to The Herald, Brown noted that the scheduling of cannabis has long been debated. After cannabis was classified Schedule I under the Nixon administration, 鈥渃ommissions argued for reclassification and decriminalization鈥� as early as 1972. 鈥淏ut the presidential administration refuted these claims,鈥� she wrote.
According to Brown, the law surrounding marijuana鈥檚 classification could affect social determinants of health, including race and economic status. 鈥淗istorically, the criminalization of cannabis use has disproportionately affected minority communities 鈥� an outcome that continues to this day even as policies have changed,鈥� she wrote.
Micalizzi agrees that rescheduling would not eliminate all challenges of studying marijuana in marginalized populations, and expressed her concerns with existing policies for mandated reporting. 鈥淩escheduling cannabis can reduce barriers to scientific research, but the legal complexities to studying cannabis in pregnancy would likely remain,鈥� she wrote.
When asked if rescheduling may lead to more people using marijuana, Brown was pragmatic. 鈥淎lready, cannabis is the most widely used federally illegal substance in the U.S.,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淚 personally do not foresee a reduction in this trend anytime soon.鈥�
鈥淭his is why it is so incredibly important to research cannabis,鈥� she added. 鈥淓specially as legalization continues across the U.S., so that public health and policy officials can make the most informed decisions and provide guidance to the public.鈥�
Ranjana 鈥淛aanu鈥� Ramesh is a Bruno Brief-er, photographer and Senior Staff Writer covering science & research. She loves service, empathetic medicine and working with kids. When not writing or studying comp neuro, Jaanu is outside, reading, skiing, or observing Providence wildlife (ie: squirrels).
