Marijuana advocates who hoped the cascade of states moving to legalize medical marijuana would soften the federal stance on the drug faced disappointment Thursday as the Drug Enforcement Administration announced it will keep marijuana illegal for any objective.
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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. Marijuana shouldn’t be listed as Schedule I; it shouldn’t be listed at all.
Both the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Neurology have come out in favor of loosening marijuana laws to allow for more research into its potential medical use.
The DEA did promise to issue more licenses to medical researchers to legally grow marijuana for their studies in its report.
Twenty-five states have sanctioned marijuana use for medical purposes, despite little proof of the drug’s effectiveness.
On the FDA’s site, under “FDA and Marijuana: Questions and Answers”, the Administration acknowledges that several states are considering or have already passed laws removing medical marijuana restrictions, and notes there is particular interest in cannabinoid oil for use in treating childhood epilepsy.
As reported by CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton earlier Thursday, the agency said it will try to make marijuana more available to researchers. Those crops are the sole source of marijuana used in Food and Drug Administration-sanctioned research into the plant’s medical potential. The move means cannabis will remain a Schedule One drug, the highest designation, the same as heroin.
The District of Columbia and 25 states now allow the use of marijuana for a wide variety of medical conditions.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Thursday said that marijuana will continue to be categorised as a schedule I controlled substance.
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“The DEA’s decision flies in the face of choices made freely by voters in OR and many other states about the legality of marijuana”. Washington D.C. also now permits recreational use of marijuana, although there is no provision for the commercial sale of the drug. Florida (and Arkansas) will decide on medical marijuana at the polls this fall, and voters in Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada will consider full legalization.
