Science Up in Smoke: The Catch-22 of Marijuana Research

[n2doc]

by DANIEL HONAN

Marijuana has "high abuse potential" and no "currently accepted medical use." That is how marijuana is classified by federal bureaucrats, even though that view is very much out of sync with the opinions of many doctors and scientists. This designation is the legacy of the forty year old Controlled Substances Act, and this designation will not change any time soon, thanks to a ruling this week by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The appeals court ruled in favor of the Drug Enforcement Administration, which had chosen not to review scientific evidence in support of the reclassification of marijuana, which is currently a Schedule 1 agent, the most restrictive category for a controlled substance.

This discrepancy between public policy and the scientific community is a well-documented public health predicament as an estimated one million patients use marijuana as a treatment every year. This discrepancy has also muddled public policy because 18 states have made medical marijuana legal. So what are law enforcement officials to do? How can the medical community be expected to make progress?

When confusion reigns, you cannot expect good outcomes. So the question to answer is this: why does such confusion regin? As Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance tells Big Think, marijuana occupies a special status in American culture and our legal system. This status is based on the belief that this substance is far more dangerous than any scientific evidence has borne out.

more

http://bigthink.com/think-tank/science-up-in-smoke-the-catch-22-of-marijuana-research

[Angry Dragon]

1. Then why do the American taxpayers hold patents on the medical use of MJ??

[Andy823]

2. Well...

Marijuana has "high abuse potential" and no "currently accepted medical use."

The same thing can be said about alcohol, but I don't think they will change that classification! The whole problem is the big money in the alcohol and pharmaceutical business don't really want marijuana legal because it will cost them billions of lost revenues. Since these two industries pay a lot of money to politicians, and most likely judges, they get their way. Until they can control the sales of marijuana and make huge profits for themselves, things won't change much.

[Occulus]

5. Alcohol sterilizes

Let's get all this down to brass tacks.

They. Want. Prisoners.

It really is just that simple.

[Scuba]

3. Two main forces fighting legalization: alcohol and private prison lobbies.

[pscot]

4. How much money from the prison lobby

finds its way into judicial campaign funds. Not to mention the head money those judges in Pennsylvania were getting.

[littlemissmartypants]

6. ok

so why has Marinol been available for years as a prescription? I'll tell you why. Because in pill form my patients can get an appetite stimulant without a "high" which indicates to me it is not the substance in its pure form they are concerned about but the so called, "fun part" the pain relief, they want to out law. Not only are corporations NOT human, they have no morals or souls. Please legalize and tax it. At least then we may be able to keep smokers away from the possibility of inhaling formaldehyde and seeking out other substances we know are actually very dangerous. Bath Salts for example are a one way ticket to psychosis, like Meth is. There is also some evidence in scientific lit. LT use of opiates can produce psychotic behavior in some individuals. Or we could just all hold our collective breath for the options in mental health to improve but that would just add to the death toll. The last thing the Kings of Pharmacy want to see is some entity other than themselves, to capitalize on an all natural, free growing plant. Especially one that actually might HELP STOP suffering. Why create death panels when we already have the most efficient killing machine in the world, American Health Care?

[SHRED]

7. You think they (corporate America) are going to change the classification...

...and risk all those profits from fighting the 'war on drugs', prescription medication, alcohol, etc...?


Not a chance.


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