(Alexandria, VA) – In a widely anticipated move, today the Obama Administration, using a lengthy “eight-factor analysis” and a deep evaluation of the latest science, decided to keep marijuana classified as a Schedule I substance while expanding research grow sites for the drug. This decision is consistent with a 2015 judicial opinion of a federal judge from the Eastern District of California, and various, recent pieces of federal legislation introduced to expand research and uphold the FDA approval process for medicines.
“We’re pleased to see that the Obama Administration — using the exhaustive “eight factor” scientific analysis required by law — understands the science the way we and almost every single major medical association in the country understand it,” said Kevin Sabet, President of SAM. “Big Marijuana was counting on President Obama to reschedule or even deschedule marijuana, in order to circumvent the FDA process to turn a quick profit on unregulated products. But this decision means that medications based on marijuana will have to go through the same rigorous testing process as all of our other medications.”
Moreover, the new rules expand legitimate research opportunities, by expanding the number of legal grow sites for research-grade marijuana beyond the current facility in Mississippi. This will likely help in researching CBD and other components of marijuana, and should streamline the process for data collection.
Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is a nonpartisan, non-profit alliance of physicians, policy makers, prevention workers, treatment and recovery professionals, scientists, and other concerned citizens who oppose marijuana legalization and want health and scientific evidence to guide marijuana policies. Learn more at https://learnaboutsam.org.