Mitch Perry
Advocates for both medical marijuana and the outright legalization of the herb were dealt a blow yesterday when the Drug Enforcement Administration rejected a bid to reconsider how it treats marijuana under federal drug control laws.
Along with much more serious drugs such as heroin and acid, pot is considered a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substance Act. The hope was that it would be reclassified as a Schedule II drug, which is how speed and oxycodone are currently scheduled.
But no, said DEA head Chuck Rosenberg.
“This decision isn’t based on danger,” he said. “This decision is based on whether marijuana, as determined by the FDA, is a safe and effective medicine. And it’s not.”
As the Washington Post reports, the FDA has never approved whole-plant marijuana as a drug, and it may never do so, since most drugs the FDA approves of are individual chemical compounds, not plants.
“This is a vindication for science and for people who have said to go slow,” Kevin Sabet said. He’s a former Obama administration drug advisor who argued against legalizing marijuana at debate at the University of Tampa a few years ago. “I think it’s a bad day for legalization efforts and a good day for scientists,” he added.
Meanwhile, the beat goes on. Florida (and Arkansas) will decide on medical marijuana at the polls this fall, and voters in Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada will consider full legalization.
In other news …
That news we had yesterday about Tim Canova and Debbie Wasserman Schultz agreeing to a debate this Sunday morning? Never mind. Actually, it’s back on.
DWS dismisses criticism against her by Canova and other critics as “garbage” in a new television ad for the voters in CD 23.
Brent King and Jan Schneider are battling it out to be the Democratic representative to challenge Vern Buchanan this fall in the CD 16 race.
David Jolly is the latest Florida lawmaker to call on Congress to end their summer recess for a day and vote to approve funding for the Zika virus.
One comment
Bill Monroe
August 13, 2016 at 6:29 pm
Why is it Chuck Rosenfield cannot articulate why cannabis isn’t medicine? After all the Department of Health and Human Services has a cannabis patent, has licensed the patent, and receive money from the pharmaceuticals. Synthetic THC has been legal since 1985. THC is one of the 111 cannabinoids in cannabis. The DEA is like a child stomping their feet saying no it’s not medicine, but refuse to debate or articulate their argument. It’s all about pharmaceutical profit, control, and government lies. Kevin Sabet is just a shill for the pharmaceutical Industry. Sabet needs to be quiet.
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