After decades of having the notorious reputation as a dangerous drug with no medicinal value, it looks like cannabis will soon be rescheduled from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule II drug, which will enable scientists to at least research the plant’s medicinal benefits.

Although DEA head Chuck Rosenberg views medical marijuana as “a joke,” he admits that a debate as to legalizing the substance is in order.

According to the American Medical Association, the Schedule I status would be reviewed “with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines.”

At this point in time 23 states and the District of Columbia have passed medical marijuana legislation, and a few more have passed laws allowing recreational use of marijuana. In addition to the 23 states with medical marijuana laws, 17 more have approved legislation regarding “CBD-only” marijuana, meaning that 80% of US states have approved some form of medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana research may benefit children and others

Among other bodies, the American Academy of Pediatrics would welcome the reclassification of marijuana in order to facilitate research and development of pharmaceutical cannabinoids, and supports a review of policies that would promote research of these compounds.

Senator Elizabeth Warren also would like to see medical marijuana studied to provide an alternative to opioids for pain treatment. She stated that the US is faced with an opioid epidemic that continues to grow and that opioid abuse is of national concern.   For example, in 2014, approximately 47 000 people died as a result of opioid abuse.  To date, there has been no recorded incidence of a marijuana overdose EVER, and this applies to marijuana used for medicinal use and recreational use. 

These are just two examples of the myriad benefits that medical marijuana could provide if it were re-scheduled and researched. The re-scheduling of marijuana by the DEA from most dangerous category of drugs will hopefully take place in next three months.

Sources:

hngn.com

huffingtompost.com

nydailynews.com