Congress Pushing to Change Legal Cannabis Research Status

The DEA is seriously considering changing the Schedule I status of cannabis, and might announce their decision in the next couple of months.

According to The Washington Times, the DEA recently sent a letter to lawmakers that was signed by the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. It states that they have been studying scientific and medical tests, and plan to make an announcement about either re-scheduling or keeping cannabis as Schedule I during the first half of 2016.

While it is rare for the DEA to re-classify a drug from Schedule I to Schedule II, many feel that it will happen this time around because of the growing support for medical cannabis. If cannabis is rescheduled as Schedule II, this will mean that although the substance will still be illegal and heavily controlled, more research and medical testing can be conducted.

“Reclassifying cannabis will make scientific research easier and will send a strong signal that the U.S. government is finally ready to acknowledge that marijuana has medical value,” Tom Angell of Marijuana Majority, who advocate for cannabis legalization, told The Guardian.

While the DEA has shut down petitions to reschedule cannabis in the past, 23 states are now using legal medical cannabis to some degree, and with this year’s elections, more will probably join the ranks. It is absurd that so many people are now using cannabis as medicine, but it is still illegal for the results to be properly charted or for the kind of research needed to move medical studies further to actually take place.

With so many Americans now on board and crying out for rescheduling, including respected senators and many parents of sick children who use CBD oil, the DEA may actually follow through with a re-scheduling this year.