Here we go......a good solid attempt to get Cannabis off of schedule I.
US Court to Hear Arguments to Re-classify Marijuana
This week, on October 16th, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. will begin hearing oral arguments in Americans for Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration, a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s current status of cannabis alongside LSD and heroin as a Schedule I substance, which identifies cannabis has having “no medicinal value.”
The hypocrisy is egregious and obvious: on top of the countless scientific studies which have been done over the last several years showing cannabis as an effective medicine for everything from Alzheimer’s to MS to cancer, nearly three quarters of Americans recognize this truth and support the doctors and patients who feel the same. Marinol, a synthetic form of THC, which is found in the cannabis plant, is classified as Schedule III – meaning it is recognized to have medicinal value. In December, 2011, the federal government granted a patent on medical cannabis to a private firm called KannaLife In 2002, my state university college textbook in pharmacology cited “cannabis” as being the model anti-emetic drug – meaning cannabis controls nausea better than any other known compound on the planet.
For the first time in 20 years, federal courts will have to address this inconsistency, despite their blatant tactics to delay these discussions. And there’s a good chance they will be forced to put policy more in line with science. Unfortunately, there’s a good chance this change will do much meaningful for the thousands of cannabis patients and consumers in this country. If cannabis is rescheduled to Schedule II, it will come to sit alongside cocaine in its designation. Yes, doctors can prescribe cocaine. But we all know this doesn’t happen in real practice. Furthermore, rescheduling means the FDA is still in control, and they don’t let anyone but Big Pharma produce medicines.
I applaud Americans for Safe Access and the excellent work they are doing – pushing the envelope and demanding that we have the conversation and hold our policies to a scientific standard. But although I welcome our court system finally attempting to address the contradiction of our policies with science, I caution anyone from getting their hopes up or from thinking that the battle is over should marijuana be re-scheduled.
The fact is, cannabis needs to be removed from the scheduling system altogether. Period. Only then will the civil liberties aspect of this issue be resolved. Only then will opportunities open for entrepreneurship and local businesses in this emerging industry. Only then will the ugliness of the illegal market completely be addressed. And most importantly, only then will all the patients who need their medicine have access to it.
I sincerely hope that Americans for Safe Access is successful this week in their court hearings – the truth is with them. But the battle does not stop there; we need to de-schedule, not just re-schedule marijuana.
This week, on October 16th, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. will begin hearing oral arguments in Americans for Safe Access v. Drug Enforcement Administration, a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s current status of cannabis alongside LSD and heroin as a Schedule I substance, which identifies cannabis has having “no medicinal value.”
The hypocrisy is egregious and obvious: on top of the countless scientific studies which have been done over the last several years showing cannabis as an effective medicine for everything from Alzheimer’s to MS to cancer, nearly three quarters of Americans recognize this truth and support the doctors and patients who feel the same. Marinol, a synthetic form of THC, which is found in the cannabis plant, is classified as Schedule III – meaning it is recognized to have medicinal value. In December, 2011, the federal government granted a patent on medical cannabis to a private firm called KannaLife In 2002, my state university college textbook in pharmacology cited “cannabis” as being the model anti-emetic drug – meaning cannabis controls nausea better than any other known compound on the planet.
For the first time in 20 years, federal courts will have to address this inconsistency, despite their blatant tactics to delay these discussions. And there’s a good chance they will be forced to put policy more in line with science. Unfortunately, there’s a good chance this change will do much meaningful for the thousands of cannabis patients and consumers in this country. If cannabis is rescheduled to Schedule II, it will come to sit alongside cocaine in its designation. Yes, doctors can prescribe cocaine. But we all know this doesn’t happen in real practice. Furthermore, rescheduling means the FDA is still in control, and they don’t let anyone but Big Pharma produce medicines.
I applaud Americans for Safe Access and the excellent work they are doing – pushing the envelope and demanding that we have the conversation and hold our policies to a scientific standard. But although I welcome our court system finally attempting to address the contradiction of our policies with science, I caution anyone from getting their hopes up or from thinking that the battle is over should marijuana be re-scheduled.
The fact is, cannabis needs to be removed from the scheduling system altogether. Period. Only then will the civil liberties aspect of this issue be resolved. Only then will opportunities open for entrepreneurship and local businesses in this emerging industry. Only then will the ugliness of the illegal market completely be addressed. And most importantly, only then will all the patients who need their medicine have access to it.
I sincerely hope that Americans for Safe Access is successful this week in their court hearings – the truth is with them. But the battle does not stop there; we need to de-schedule, not just re-schedule marijuana.
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