DEA takes puzzling stance on MMJ
Ladies and gentlemen, what we witnessed this week is nothing short of a mind-blower, denial at its best, ignorance at its finest. The Drug Enforcement Agency was tasked to re-evaluate the current scheduling (drug classification) of Cannabis. After all was said and done, the DEA feels Heroin and Marijuana are identical and should remain as Schedule 2 drugs. Nobody is hoping Heroin gets rescheduled, but there are millions of people who want to see Cannabis rescheduled to allow for better testing and clinical human trials.
The DEA "concluded that Marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no accepted medical use in the United States, and lacks an acceptable level of safety for use even under medical supervision". Interestingly enough, each of those points is easily debunked. Credentialed studies have been conducted in regards to the ability for Medical Marijuana to help people break the habit of opiod abuse. Many patients are prescribed opiods for pain, time after time after time. MMJ is helping them out of that viscous cycle. Numerous studies in countries like Israel and Spain have tackled the addiction concept and shown that at worst it would be comparable to your love of ice cream or coffee. Very minimal, if noticed.
Over half of the states in the US have Medical Marijuana laws and qualified conditions on their books. The US government holds a patent on beneficial properties of Cannabis. The FDA has approved MMJ based medicines and others are currently in the trial phase. Marijuana is widely known to help chemo patients and people suffering from AIDS wasting syndrome. Cancer.gov plainly states - THC (main cannabinoid in Marijuana) can kill certain types of cancer cells via apoptosis. These are medically accepted uses, yet the DEA contends there are none?
Seniors MMJ Network is 100% supportive of more research to determine the good and the bad behind this plant. MMJ works great for many people, but that doesn't mean we know all of the potential problems or benefits it may or may not cause. When compared to the alternatives of pharmaceuticals, it is the leading horse in the race for many Seniors. Alas, we are deeply disappointed by this recent decision because better research is needed. The DEA did propose provisions to expand testing and to allow more than one University to supply research, but given their track record with the current system, this move is merely lip service.
To further summarize the recent news, we offer the two sources that grabbed our attention most. The first is from the public broadcasting show, All Things Considered with host Kate Davidson doing a brief four minute Q&A with Dr. Colin Roberts, a pediatric neurologist. He runs the childhood epilepsy program at Doernbechers Children Hospital in Portland, OR. Hear the interview - HERE
The second is from Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who has been a leader in exposing the research and people behind Medical Marijuana. Read his thoughts - HERE
I'd like to close this article, with the opening of his. It explains many peoples frustrated reactions -
There is really just one salient question when it comes to today's decision by the Drug Enforcement Administration to expand the number of growers of research-grade marijuana, while still not changing the scheduling of marijuana: Will this decision make it significantly easier for scientists to study the medical benefits of marijuana?
The answer sadly is: unlikely. And this is a missed opportunity that could further delay potential therapies to countless people.
