WATKINS, Colo. — The federal government's decision to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule 1 drug, like heroin, to a Schedule 3 drug, like Tylenol with Codeine, is paving the way for medical cannabis businesses to expand.
READ MORE: CO cannabis industry anticipates potential federal reclassification under Trump
Priyanka Sharma is the co-founder and co-CEO of Kazmira Therapeutics, a company with a warehouse in Watkins that prepares and dispenses CBD to patients.
The reclassification of marijuana means she and her partner can expand the business, going from just providing CBD to soon providing THC for patients, as well.
"I think that this plant is just it's not well understood yet," Sharma said.
"That's such a big shift, because it allows now patients and doctors to start having conversations about what medical marijuana is doing for these patients to actually solve symptoms of real medical conditions," Sharma told Denver7's Veronica Acosta.
Brian Vicente, founding partner of Vicente LLP, spent years working to get marijuana reclassified.
"They no longer have this Reefer Madness mentality," Vicente said.
"Medical specific businesses were really called out in this federal order," he added.
"They said, You know, if you are operating under a state license as a medical operator, you know, we are putting you on this sort of path towards legitimization," Vicente said.
For those like Sharma who help people medically with the plant, there is now more to explore legally.
"It hasn't been able to be handled by pharmaceutical company. It hasn't been able to be handled by researchers," Sharma said.
