Tuesday’s announcement by the U.S. , a group that is fighting the injustices caused by America’s past policy of pot prohibition, calls the DEA announcement “a necessary step towards correcting past injustices and creating a fair and equitable criminal legal system.”
Although the DEA didn’t call for full legalization of cannabis, Gersten said activists “must use this historic moment to push the fight for cannabis justice forward and we intend to do so by leveraging this reclassification for broader criminal legal reforms as outlined here.”
Audrey Roy of the High 90′s vape brand, said the DEA rule opens the door to
operate more freely, access important resources like loans and insurance, and have secure banking options.”
She added: “It’s revolutionary for the cannabis market and will allow us to flourish just like any other small business.”
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Reid Stewart, CEO of Frozen Fields, a vape and gummy maker, admits rescheduling may seem like progress, but warns of potential issues that could affect smaller cannabis companies.
“The unique thing about state-regulated cannabis to this stage is the largest operations didn’t have much scale advantage as state borders stopped this,” Stewart told HuffPost. “I fear that rescheduling would see the corporatization of cannabis before the free market even gets a chance.”
Rodney Carter Jr., co-founder and CEO of Trends Dispensary in New York, admits the news is bittersweet because while “it allows for safer banking which is very much needed, it also allows big corporations and big pharma to swoop in making it nearly impossible for the newly licensed or little guys to stand a chance and compete.”
He added: “When you can buy cannabis at Walmart and CVS, where does that leave us?”
