The Federal Government Wants Public Input on Rescheduling Marijuana
Could marijuana soon be legal?
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Under federal law, marijuana is currently a Schedule I substance, meaning the government considers it a highly addictive drug with no legitimate medical use. But the Trump administration is now asking for public comment on whether marijuana should be reclassified under international drug control treaties in which the U.S. is a party. [1]
In addition to being classified as a Schedule I substance in the U.S., marijuana is also considered a Schedule I drug under global agreements. That means that countries which have signed onto drug treaties are not supposed to legalize it. [1]
But the United Nations World Health Organization is preparing to launch a review of the current international classification for marijuana. This includes review of THC, the psychoactive cannabinoid in marijuana, cannabidiol (CBD), and other related compounds and preparations. The organization is seeking input from member nations.
As a result, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants “interested persons” to submit comments aimed at informing the U.S.’s position on the subject before it weighs in with the U.N.
Specifically, the agency is asking people to give their views on the ‘abuse potential, actual abuse, medical usefulness, trafficking and impact of scheduling changes on availability for medical use of marijuana and its compounds,’ according to a notice in the Federal Register, published April 2, 2018.
Read: Most Americans Think Marijuana Should be Legalized
Then, in June, the WHO’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence will meet to discuss cannabis’ classification and develop pre-review recommendations for the U.N. secretary-general about conducting a more comprehensive analysis.
Depending on the results, cannabis could be rescheduled internationally, which would likely prompt the U.S. to change marijuana’s status.
We KNOW that Marijuana can be Beneficial
The WHO has already said that CBD appears to be safe, non-addictive, and well-tolerated in both humans and animals, with many proven medicinal benefits. CBD is not currently listed under international schedules, but is a Schedule I substance in the U.S. (Various individual states have their own laws concerning the legality of CBD oil.)
The committee said of CBD:
“There is no evidence of…any public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.”
Survey: 42% of People Replaced Pharmaceuticals with Marijuana Compounds
Shockingly, the FDA noted in a press release that the federal government has not formally reviewed marijuana’s Schedule I status since it was classified as such in 1961. [2]
The FDA will start taking public comments beginning April 9, 2018, and will stop taking them on April 23.
Sources:
[1] Forbes
[2] Civilized
 | Julie Fidler has written hundreds of articles on key world topics such as health, drugs, and law. She is also the author of Adventures in Holy Matrimony: For Better or the Absolute Worst. Oh, and she loves to take care of two ridiculously- spoiled cats in her free time. |
Considering all the patents on marijuana to be found if you look, my bet is this is all just a dog and pony show and it is already a done deal.
Meaning the pharma’s want in on the action!!
These patents are almost 10 years old some of them. I’m willing to bet that big pharma is behind the push to legalize so that they CAN profit. My guess is they will so pollute the products out there that they will eventually become toxic, just as all the rest of big pharma is.