Federal scientists want to ease restrictions on marijuana

Federal scientists want to make marijuana more accessible to those seeking therapeutic medicine by downgrading weed from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug.

Researchers with the Food and Drug Administration wrote a letter in August that listed “eight factors” why the drug should be downgraded — which would essentially make it legal, the new-released letter said.

The Drug Enforcement Agency listed marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug in 1970 by using factors including the potential for abuse, the pharmacological effect, and whether there is a psychic or physiological dependence liability.

But as the scientists argued in the letter to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, marijuana is not as prone to abuse as other Schedule I drugs, such as heroin. It also has a significant potential for medical benefits.

The Schedule I designation determines that the drug has a high potential for abuse and no medical use. They also carry several trafficking punishments under federal law.

Scientists want to reclassify the drug in Schedule III, the same category as ketamine and testosterone, which are both available by prescription.

Although they noted that marijuana does have a physical and psychological dependence, they said a serious consequence from it was “low,” according to the documents that were in a 250-page review. The documents were released Thursday by Matthew Zorn, a lawyer, who sued Health and Human Services for its release, according to The New York Times.

Marijuana has been proven to have positive medicinal effects for the anorexia, nausea, and vomiting associated with chemotherapy.

The DEA is reviewing the recommendation and is expected to announce its decision in the coming months.

Before the decision can be made final, it would have to go through a public debate period.

However, senior DEA employees are reportedly hesitant about the reclassification, sources told The Times. The DEA rejected a petition in 2016 that asked to reclassify the drug due to its abuse rates.

Keith Humphreys, a Stanford professor, said the “therapeutic claims about cannabis have been debunked” and that science has found that it can be “quite harmful,” he told The Times.

“Yet it is now that the federal government has decided to call it a medicine,” he said.

President Joe Biden urged the government to “expeditiously” reexamine the classification in Oct. 2022. The urge came as he pardoned many inmates who were charged with marijuana possession.

However, the FDA stays in touch with the DEA and has continued to “communicate” their “position,” The Times reported.

“We put it all out there for them,” said Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services. “We continue to offer them any follow up, technical information if they have any questions.”

The marijuana industry, on the other hand, is rooting for the reclassification to help businesses gain footing in the business sector.

Usage of cannabis has been dropping in the states. Around 52 million Americans used the drug in 2021, but that has dropped to around 36 million in December, according to The Times.

The drug is legal in 38 states for medical use and two dozen states have legalized recreational use.