Remove Cannabis From The Federal Controlled Substances Act

With all the recent talk about removing cannabis from the most stringent Schedule I (the same category as heroin) of the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), we at Twenty-One Debunked believe that the best thing to do is to remove it from the Controlled Substances Act entirely (that is, "deschedule" it).  Merely reducing it to a lower schedule ("rescheduling") or creating a new schedule would not have nearly the same benefits as removing it from the CSA entirely and treating it no more stringently than alcohol and tobacco are currently treated.

As Ricardo Baca of Salon so elegantly and eloquently writes:

But rescheduling cannabis under the CSA, rather than descheduling it completely, doesn't address the underlying issue: The cannabis plant shouldn't be a controlled substance under federal law. Period. Alcohol isn't a controlled substance. Tobacco isn't a controlled substance. Not even caffeine is a controlled substance. Cannabis shouldn't be a controlled substance either. 

Indeed.  And to that we would add, there is also no good or rational reason to set a federal age limit any higher than 18 either.

(Mic drop)

Cannabis Legalization Does NOT Increase Tobacco Use

A recent study pours cold water on another prohibitionist fear, namely that legalizing cannabis for recreational use will lead to more tobacco use via a "reverse gateway" effect.  Well, the study found the opposite:  a slight decrease in tobacco use as well as e-cigarette use.  While the decrease did not quite reach statistical significance, it was lagged and perhaps builds over time.  And at the very least, it certainly puts the lie to the tired old "reverse gateway" theory.

Thus, another myth bites the dust.