The main reason a drug is classified into any particular schedule is the drug’s specific potential for abuse. Most drug classifications are points of controversy for many groups and individuals. To actually identify a drug as a ‘controlled substance’ is already a thorn in the side of many. This is directly linked to the fact that only drugs (or substances like drugs of a pharmaceutical nature) can even be classified this way.

Alcohol and Tobacco for example are not defined by these terms, despite their actual makeups and properties qualifying both of those to be defined as Schedule 1 drugs with the strongest forms of dependence in those that use. However, keep in mind that currently the government receives quite a large amount of revenue from the manufacture and distribution of these two. For alcohol as an example, wine specifically would not be classified as a drug because of its use in religious ceremonies as a sacrament.

It is an interesting side note that in the United Kingdom they recently did a reclassification of drugs and in their view alcohol and tobacco are registered as more harmful than cannabis. So it begs the question, is the United States not reclassifying THC from a Schedule 1 drug because they have science agreeing with them that it is in fact that harmful? Or do they not want to reclassify the drug because the state of cannabis prosecution and drug testing currently puts and keeps more people in jail than any other drug on the streets?