Dr. Carl Hart hits the nail on the head here. Firstly, it makes zero sense for the DEA to base decisions about rescheduling marijuana solely on its medical capabilities when the DEA itself states that the basis for drug schedules is two-fold: “Drugs, substances, and certain chemicals used to make drugs are classified into five (5) distinct categories or schedules depending upon the drug’s acceptable medical use and the drug’s abuse or dependency potential.”
So to decide against rescheduling based solely on medical purposes is to ignore half the reason drugs get scheduled in the first place. And to attend to that second reason, there is no reason why cannabis should share a classification with LSD and heroin when its effects are milder and its addictive properties are slim to none.
Further, it is downright offensive that Commissioner Rosenberg refers to medical marijuana as a joke. Though medical cannabis research is limited (due to longstanding stigma and a lack of funding), there is still resounding evidence of cannabis’ medicinal properties, legislation in many states that respects and incorporates that evidence, as well as advocacy from a wide range of people around the world stating that cannabis holds medicinal properties for them.
Are all of those states and people a joke too? Of course they aren’t. The real joke (though a quite unfunny one) is Rosenberg’s stigma-soaked opinion on marijuana a joke.
Do you share our thoughts?
