TOLEDO, Ohio — Marijuana is catching a break.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency announced Tuesday that they will be moving to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug.
Schedule I drugs are labeled, according to the DEA, as drugs "with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse." Other Schedule I substances include heroin and ecstasy.
Schedule III drugs are labeled by the DEA as "drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence" — the same as testosterone.
So with the potentially historic change, what does this mean for Ohio?
For Ohioans, they will start to feel the change once recreational license applications open on June 7 for dual-use dispensaries, according to the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control.
"Marijuana's had a bad stigma for so long that it's just been a slow pace," Kevin Spitler, co-owner of the Toledo Hemp Center said. "It really should have happened a long time ago, because again, you're talking about a plant that really has never hurt anybody."
Spitler has been working at the Toledo Hemp Center for the last 10 years and in the hemp business for 14. He's been a proud advocate of changing policies in Ohio and across the country. For him, seeing the changes start to happen is a good thing.
"Scheduling from one to three is actually a step in the right direction," Spitler said. "It's gonna free up a lot of different people, from what they're talking about, out of jail too. It's just a good thing."
Spitler also knows the benefits of marijuana at a personal level which inspires him to want to educate people around him about the truths of the plant.
"My mom in general, who was dying of pancreatic cancer 10 years ago, which was why I opened the Toledo Hemp Center. I helped her, when doctors said she had three months to live, I helped her stick around for a little over a year," Spitler said. "She made all four of her boys' birthdays, made all the holidays one more time and it was all a credit to marijuana. And in most cases, she wasn't even getting high from it."
It is important to note that if passed, the DEA's announcement would not legalize the recreational use of marijuana in all states. Power still remains in the hands of the state governments.