ARLINGTON, VA—Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) today marked the conclusion of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s administrative hearing on the proposed rule to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. SAM and allied participants placed extensive scientific and public-health evidence on the record, and the matter now moves to the Administrative Law Judge’s recommended decision.
“We came to make sure the record reflected the science, and we did,” said SAM CEO Dr. Kevin A. Sabet. “A key official from the DEA admitted marijuana has failed the test for currently accepted medical use. Expert after expert testified to what the evidence shows: that marijuana carries a high potential for abuse, that it is a cause of psychosis and schizophrenia, and that the claimed benefits do not outweigh the risks. The decision is now in the court’s hands.”
“Rescheduling would be one of the most destructive drug-policy decisions in a generation, and it should be decided on evidence, not industry pressure,” Sabet added. “We urge the judge and the Administrator to put public health first and recommend against rescheduling marijuana.”
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