WASHINGTON – The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) joined a White House ceremony on Thursday celebrating the reclassification of marijuana to Schedule III. Previously listed as a Schedule I substance, marijuana faced stringent regulatory barriers that hindered scientific research. APhA supports this change, believing that moving marijuana to Schedule III will facilitate greater research into its medicinal properties and pave the way for safer, more effective therapeutic applications.
APhA is the largest association of pharmacists in the United States dedicated to advancing the entire pharmacy profession. APhA represents pharmacists, scientists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians in all practice settings, including but not limited to community pharmacies, hospitals, long-term care facilities, specialty pharmacies, community health centers, physician offices, ambulatory clinics, managed care organizations, hospice settings, and government facilities. Our members are committed to improving medication use, advancing patient care, and enhancing public health.
APhA supports regulatory changes that facilitate clinical research on the efficacy and safety of cannabis and its components. While cannabis offers therapeutic potential, concerns remain about drug interactions and opportunities for optimization—areas that require pharmacy expertise. As the medication experts, pharmacists support patients in their overall medication management, which include prescription and over-the-counter medications and other medicinal substances. It is essential that pharmacists know about interactions with all products a patient is taking; modifying regulatory access to cannabis will increase research availability to ascertain drug and condition interactions for pharmacist management.
Additionally, APhA advocates for health care provider education and pharmacist involvement in the dispensing and counseling of cannabis and its derivatives. Pharmacists are medication therapy experts and play a critical role in improving health outcomes. Their participation in patient education ensures proper dosing, monitoring, and counseling, ultimately promoting safe and effective use.
To support pharmacists and health care providers, APhA offers comprehensive educational resources, including its Pain Management Certificate Training Program, which provides guidance on safe pain management and patient counseling, and a new publication, Cannabis and Cannabinoids: A Primer, which helps pharmacists, student pharmacists, and practitioners navigate cannabis in modern health care.
