The DEA said on Thursday that it concluded there was “no substantial evidence” that marijuana should be removed from its classification. This is despite the fact that research suggests marijuana can alleviate symptoms of a number of diseases, from muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis patients to anxiety in those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. As the release notes, “This change illustrates DEA’s commitment to working together with the FDA and NIDA to facilitate research concerning marijuana and its components”. They would also be subjective to many inspections and spend good fortune on security equipment over a multiyear application process.
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Jay Inslee, who was one of the governors to ask the DEA to reclassify the drug, expressed his frustration.
Marijuana advocate Charles Reams of Ann Arbor calls the decision ridiculous.
If the FDA can determine that there is legitimate medical use for pot, then the DEA may change the drug’s legal status.
The new policy of allowing more medical marijuana cultivation could eventually have a big impact on legalizing medical cannabis at the federal level. Under the Compassionate Care Act, we provide seriously-ill patients in NY with third-party tested, extract-only medical cannabis based on recommendations from their physicians.
“This decision isn’t based on danger”, said Rosenberg, who was appointed by Obama a year ago. “This decision is based on whether marijuana, as determined by the FDA, is a safe and effective medicine”, affirmed Rosenberg. It’s not enough to remove some barriers to medical research. The FDA previously concluded that marijuana has “no now accepted medical use in treatment in the United States”, according to National Public Radio (NPR). Now the only registered facility is at the University of MS, which has been the single grower registered to supply medical marijuana research for almost 50 years.
Regardless, the DEA argues that there’s no reason to move pot from its Schedule One classification.
Schedule I means that a drug now has no accepted medical use in the United States, a high potential for abuse, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.
But no, said DEA head Chuck Rosenberg.
The DEA says risks from marijuana use have not been shown to be outweighed by benefits found in clinical trials.
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The request – initially proposed in 2011 – sought to have marijuana reclassified from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule II drug.
