FDA SAYS MARIJUANA SERVES LEGITIMATE MEDICAL PURPOSE, CALLS FOR DRUG TO BE RECLASSIFIED TO RISK CATEGORY BELOW FENTANYL

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has adopted the notion that marijuana serves a legitimate medical purpose.

The agency is calling for the drug to be reclassified into a lower risk category, Knewz.com has learned.

A recent FDA report makes the case that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) should move cannabis from the Schedule 1 to the Schedule 3 category of the Controlled Substances Act.

“The definition of a schedule 1 drug says it has no health benefits to it, and, so, obviously, there’s been plenty of research that has documented the multitudes of ways that cannabis can be helpful,” Dr. David Berger from Wholistic ReLeaf, a medical clinic in Florida, told Tampa news station WFTS-TV for a report on Thursday, March 21.

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services letter sent last year to the DEA cites the FDA's recommendation that marijuana be reclassified as a Schedule 3 drug and provides details of the basis of the decision.

Schedule 1 substances are those with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, according to the DEA%2C%20methaqualone%2C%20and%20peyote.). The category also includes heroin, LSD and ecstasy.

This means marijuana is in a higher risk category than Schedule 2 drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine and even fentanyl.

However, scientists with the FDA have concluded that marijuana not only has less potential for abuse than others in the Schedule 1 category, but that evidence shows it can be an effective medical treatment. They also said it carries a low or moderate risk of physical dependence for those who abuse it.

“It’s no longer appropriate to say that there’s no medical benefit when there are hundreds if not thousands of medical studies that show the opposite,” Dr. Berger said.

A growing body of research suggests the medicinal effects of marijuana can be helpful in treating symptoms of diseases like cancer, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and epilepsy.

In January, Knewz.com reported that research found cannabis also has the potential to prevent and treat Covid-19.

Compounds in the drug called "cannabinoids" may have the ability to defend the human body from the highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus and alleviate symptoms associated with long-term cases.

“Cannabis and cannabinoid-based drugs have shown promise in preventing viral entry, acting as an anti-inflammatory agent, and improving many symptoms associated with post-acute SARS-CoV-2 infections," according to the study published in the journal MDPI on December 30, 2023.

If the DEA moves reclassify marijuana into Schedule 3, it will join drugs like ketamine, testosterone and Tylenol with codeine.

“What happens after this is the federal government has more decisions to make as to what they’re going to do next,” Dr. Berger said.

Senate Democrats urged President Joe Biden earlier this year to completely deschedule cannabis, which would eliminate the need for a doctor's authorization for use nationwide.

The Department of Health and Human Services also recommended the DEA reclassify it as a Schedule 3 substance in last year's letter.

Marijuana is currently legal in 38 states for medical use and 24 states for recreational use.

2024-03-22T23:24:45Z dg43tfdfdgfd