SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – 4/20 is a date that has become an unofficial holiday among marijuana advocates. A March 2024 poll from Pew Research revealed 88% of adults in the U.S. believe marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use.

In February, some of the nation’s largest veteran groups urged the Biden administration to ease federal restrictions. In a letter, several groups, including the American Legion and the Blinded Veterans Association, said they hope for the “widest array of possible treatments.”

“Veterans are a huge segment of our patient population,” said Dr. Jaya McSharma, who is based out of Shreveport. “There’s an opioid epidemic going on in America, and we can help by getting people on plants before pills, as they say.”

Cannabis is currently classified as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act, which the DEA lists as “drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” It is in the same group as heroin and lysergic acid diethylamide, which McSharma criticizes as an “unfair” grouping.

She continued, “It makes people afraid of marijuana when they shouldn’t be. There are no reported deaths from marijuana, not even from an overdose. It’s one of the safest medicines you can do. It rarely interacts with any drugs, and it gives you all the benefits with minimum risk.”

Medical marijuana is legal in the state of Louisiana. When asked her response to opponents who consider it a gateway drug, Dr. McSharma replied, “There’s no clinical evidence now that medical marijuana – when it’s used clinically, when it’s used appropriately—is a gateway drug to other drugs.”

McSharma shared that she’s witnessed some of her own patients reduce their alcohol intake and illicit use of other substances due to medical marijuana.

When asked her message to those who cannot get on board with the controversial topic, “Don’t judge until you or a loved one have tried it. And if you’re going to do it, you can do it with the expertise of a medical doctor by your side.”

In January 2024, a federal review requested by the Biden Administration determined that marijuana is eligible for reclassification and sent those findings to the DEA. The DEA is the agency responsible for determining what schedule a drug should be classified under, and they enforce the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

If the DEA upholds the findings received from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, marijuana could be reclassified to Schedule III, which means the substance has a “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”