A group composed of both Republicans and Democrats from the United States Senate and House is asking President Obama to help get rid of issues standing in the way of scientific research on cannabis’s medical benefits.
“As states have attempted to expand access to medical treatments for their citizens, the federal government has a responsibility to act in a manner that allows patients to benefit from research on those treatments,” the group of Senators and House members wrote to President Obama last week. “Until we have comprehensive scientific research on the medical risks and benefits of cannabis and its derivatives, we will continue to debate this issue on the basis of outdated ideology instead of modern science.”
To start with, they need the president to guarantee that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which is right now measuring whether to reclassify cannabis under federal law, settles on the choice with a reasonable and straightforward approach. Cannabis is as of now under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the most prohibitive classification, which should be held for drugs with no medicinal worth. While heroin and LSD are additionally in Schedule I, cocaine is characterized in Schedule II, a less troublesome assignment. A developing number of researchers say that renaming could make research less strenuous.
“Given previous issues with transparency in the scheduling process, we request that public hearings also be held to allow researchers, doctors, and patients an opportunity to inform this decision in an open, transparent manner,” they added.
“The current federal policy that cannabis has no accepted medical value is clearly inaccurate,” Mike Liszewski from Americans for Safe Access, said. “If the DEA refuses to hold public hearings and they ultimately decide to maintain their current position, they will severely undermine the public’s trust. This is not just about medical cannabis, the integrity of the Controlled Substances Act is at stake.”
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