This classification is reserved for drugs with the highest potential of abuse and no medical value.
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The fact that marijuana is safer than heroin is probably a no-brainer to most of us, but to the Drug Enforcement Administration, it’s news.
During a press conference Wednesday morning, newly appointed DEA chief Chuck Rosenberg clarified a statement he made last week, admitting to reporters “heroin is clearly more unsafe than marijuana”.
However, Rosenberg still labeled marijuana as “harmful and risky”.
Under Leonhart, the DEA also repeatedly challenged the White House on marijuana reform measures, aggressively pursued medical marijuana raids in defiance of congressional mandates, and was ridiculed by congressmen for its opposition to industrial hemp. Do I think it’s as risky as heroin?
Rosenberg’s comments represent a significant shift in the DEA’s position on marijuana and bring the agency into alignment with the science that has long held that marijuana is one of the least risky and addictive recreational drugs. “Do I think it’s as unsafe as heroin?”
Whether or not you believe marijuana should be legalized, you probably can agree it should be removed from the Schedule I substance list so it can be further and more adequately researched.
Rosenberg added he supports the country’s marijuana laws, but he would prefer the DEA to direct its attention to “the biggest and most important cases there are”.
Marijuana has been named among Schedule I drugs for decades, but this new language suggests that could change. The admission that marijuana isn’t as risky as heroin naturally leads to another question: Just how unsafe is it?
“The federal government is woefully behind”, Blumenauer wrote.
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Will Rosenberg’s acknowledgement signal a turning point in marijuana policy? Because the drug is so tightly restricted, it’s extremely hard for most researchers in the U.S.to study its health effects.
