The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has recently announced that it will consider rescheduling Marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule II drug. As it is currently scheduled, it has no acceptable medical use and a high potential for abuse. In fact, it is currently scheduled with drugs such as heroin and LSD. If it were to be rescheduled to a Schedule II drug, it would be classified with other drugs such as Oxycodone and Adderall which have an acceptable medical purpose. As such, researchers would be able to study Marijuana in more depth, even to the point of doing clinical trials on humans. This could lead to the development of canaboid-based medicines. As of today, the government has an exclusive contract with the University of Mississippi for the cultivation of Marijuana for medical research. With the rescheduling, more places could potentially be authorized to cultivate marijuana for federally funded research. The DEA has stated that a formal decision will be announced around July of 2016.
At the Law Offices of Paul Petruzzi, we fully support the rescheduling of Marijuana. Marijuana has proven time and time again to help those with certain illnesses. To leave Marijuana as a Schedule I drug would undermine the development and research of all the potential benefits of Marijuana. The rescheduling of Marijuana is a step in the right direction for our country as a whole. Read about it here and here.