Medical Marijuana Advocates Want Drug Reclassified

[Sledge]

Medical marijuana advocates want drug reclassified

 

Oct 16, 2:30 PM (ET)

 

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER

 

WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal appeals court in Washington is considering whether marijuana should be reclassified from its current status as a dangerous drug with no accepted medical use.

Last year, the Drug Enforcement Administration rejected a petition by medical marijuana advocates to change the classification, which kept marijuana in the same category as drugs such as heroin. The DEA concluded that there wasn't a consensus opinion among experts on using marijuana for medical purposes. The petition had been filed in 2002.

A medical marijuana group, Americans for Safe Access, want the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to force the agency to hold a hearing and conduct findings based on the scientific record.

The group's lawyer, Joe Elford, said that the DEA had misapplied the law. He added there are numerous studies that show marijuana is effective as a medical treatment. The group's legal brief said marijuana could help people with chronic pain and the negative side effects of chemotherapy, among other things.

Marijuana is classified under "Schedule I" of controlled substances, meaning it has a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use. It's lumped in with drugs like heroin, LSD and ecstasy. Americans for Safe Access want to see it reclassified to a less restrictive schedule.

 

Justice Department lawyer Lena Watkins said that marijuana is properly classified.

"It's the most widely abused drug in the United States," she said.

Tuesday's hearing was packed to capacity with many medical marijuana supporters in the audience.

The judges who will decide the case are Karen LeCraft Henderson, a Republican appointee, and Harry T. Edwards and Merrick B. Garland, both Democratic appointees.

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http://apnews.excite.../DA1UQFMO1.html

[Birdman]

The thing that concerns me if they reschedule it, Big Pharma will take the plant, crush it up, dilute it with other chemicals and preservatives, and turn it into a toxic pill with a laundry list of bad side effects. Being that the government somehow got a patent on plant cannabinoids, this is a real possibility.

[solabeirtan]

What gives them the right to patent a plant / herb ? FDA ? THC is a Drug ?

 

....Justice Department lawyer Lena Watkins said that marijuana is properly classified.

"It's the most widely abused drug in the United States," she said....

 

What about Booze ? Its definitley a drug. The redeeming qualities are: ? Why hasn't it made it onto the schedule ?

 

Cannabis reclassification should be to Nootropic . ( noh-ə-trop-iks), also referred to as smart drugs, memory enhancers, neuro enhancers, cognitive enhancers, and intelligence enhancers, are drugs,supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional foods that improve mental functions such as cognition, memory, intelligence, motivation, attention, and concentration.^[1][2] The word nootropic was coined in 1972 by the Romanian Dr. Corneliu E. Giurgea,^[3][4] derived from the Greek words νους nous, or "mind," and τρέπειν trepein meaning "to bend/turn". Nootropics are thought to work by altering the availability of the brain's supply of neurochemicals (neurotransmitters, enzymes, and hormones), by improving the brain's oxygen supply, or by stimulating nerve growth.

[Birdman]

What gives them the right to patent a plant / herb ? FDA ? THC is a Drug ?

 

....Justice Department lawyer Lena Watkins said that marijuana is properly classified.

"It's the most widely abused drug in the United States," she said....

 

What about Booze ? Its definitley a drug. The redeeming qualities are: ? Why hasn't it made it onto the schedule ?

 

Cannabis reclassification should be to Nootropic . (noh-ə-trop-iks), also referred to as smart drugs, memory enhancers, neuro enhancers, cognitive enhancers, and intelligence enhancers, are drugs,supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional foods that improve mental functions such as cognition, memory, intelligence, motivation, attention, and concentration.^[1][2] The word nootropic was coined in 1972 by the Romanian Dr. Corneliu E. Giurgea,^[3][4] derived from the Greek words νους nous, or "mind," and τρέπειν trepein meaning "to bend/turn". Nootropics are thought to work by altering the availability of the brain's supply of neurochemicals (neurotransmitters, enzymes, and hormones), by improving the brain's oxygen supply, or by stimulating nerve growth.

 

They did it. Patent # 6,630,507 Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants. It was issued to the U.S. Government in 1974. I'm waiting for them to get a patent on sunshine next.

[solabeirtan]

I'd call it more like an essential oil ie: omega 3s', 6s', etc.... Omega13, maybe. I think they'll do water before the sunshine they've allready got it in bottles. Also people are used to paying outrageous amounts for it. sometimes costs more than gasoline.

 

I still remember pumping that stuff from a Sinclair gas station circa 1966 for less than 25 cents a gallon.

$0.18 - 0.25 / gal. They didn't have bottled water then either. But life was good for awhile, then came Vietnam...

 

They did it. Patent # 6,630,507 Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants. It was issued to the U.S. Government in 1974. I'm waiting for them to get a patent on sunshine next.

If thats true we should be able to do a G^eneric version soon. Same ingredients, but better ... butter. bet or ... batter ... butter... batter butter ... but ... better ....

 

be coming, quick! bawwaaaaahhhhaaaaaahhhhhaaaaa

Edited October 17, 2012 by solabeirtan

[switchfoot2]

This is an incredibly important event right now. I think that addressing the scheduling issue would be a sign of responsibility by the government. The fact that multiple peer-reviewed scientific studies indicating the medicinal efficacy of cannabis have been ignored by the federal government just goes to show how irresponsible our government can be. I'm glad that things are changing. Slowly.