FDA Calls for Public Comments on Cannabis

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]T[/dropcap]he U.S. government is so large in size and complex in structure, many people believe that it can’t possibly listen to the voice of the people. It’s difficult for one voice to be heard, and there are countless opinions concerning all facets of the country’s government—but one thing that’s for sure is that if a collective voice is loud enough, it will eventually get the attention of the highest government members. Fortunately for the cannabis community, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is asking the public to comment about opinions regarding cannabis rescheduling.

On Wednesday, Oct. 10, the FDA posted a request for public comment. According to Forbes, this request followed the call by the World Health Organization to seek out opinions and possible changes necessary for global drug laws. The FDA’s summary details the input they require for further consideration:

“The Food and Drug Administration is requesting interested persons to submit comments concerning abuse potential, actual abuse, medical usefulness, trafficking, and impact of scheduling changes on availability for medical use of 16 drug substances,” the statement reads. “These comments will be considered in preparing a response from the United States to the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the abuse liability and diversion of these drugs. WHO will use this information to consider whether to recommend that certain international restrictions be placed on these drugs.”

Comments may be presented online here, or written and sent via mail. Note that the deadline for submissions ends on Wednesday, Oct. 31.

Assumedly, these comments will be reviewed prior to the 41th Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD), which occurs on Monday, November 12-Friday, November 16 in Geneva, Switzerland. There, discussions will be held regarding a number of drugs, with a desire to “review psychoactive substances on their potential to cause dependence, abuse and harm to health, and their potential therapeutic applications. WHO will make recommendations to the UN Secretary-General on the need for and level of international control of these substances.”

With the recent news of the FDA’s decision to move FDA-approved CBD from Schedule I to a Schedule V substance, discussions at the ECDD could be paving the way to a newer, better cannabis community.