If the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reclassified marijuana as a less dangerous drug, it wouldn't eliminate the conflicts between the feds and states such as California that have legalized many uses of the substance. But it would bring one significant shift that could give California's licensed pot companies a badly needed boost: a lighter tax burden.
Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, calling it a political decision in an election year. 'Politics and industry influence have loomed over this decision from the very beginning.' If the reclassification is ultimately approved, it would recognize medicinal uses for marijuana and require the drug be sold and regulated on the federal level similar to how ketamine, some anabolic steroids and Tylenol with codeine are regulated.