LYNCHBURG, Va. (WFXR) – The University of Lynchburg’s cannabis health care and medicine program kicked off this week, just days after the Associated Press reported that the DEA is moving to reclassify the substance.
“By changing the scheduling status, it’s going to open up a tremendous amount of opportunity,” said Max Simon, CEO of Green Flower, a partner in the program.
The program focuses on medicinal uses for the plant. Legal medical marijuana spending has quadrupled in the past decade according to data from Statista. Simon says reclassification could only boost interest in this already fast-growing industry.
“When you look at it from an updated lens, an academic lens, a more clinical lens, you do realize this is a beneficial product for society that’s safer than many other substances we commonly accept, that the industry is growing at an amazing pace even without federal legalization, so it’s time for us to update our files, get excited about the possibilities, and participate in this multibillion-dollar industry,” he said.
There are still several steps left in the process to reclassify marijuana, such as public comment and review by a judge.