Pubdate: Sat, 13 Aug 2016
Source: Dominion Post, The (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2016 The Dominion Post
Contact:  http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2550

FEDERAL, STATE LAWS CLASH ON MARIJUANA

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration yesterday denied 
requests to stop classifying marijuana as a dangerous drug with no 
medical use, leaving users and businesses in limbo after many states 
have legalised it for medical or recreational purposes.

The DEA though did relax certain restrictions on growing marijuana 
for research purposes.

For decades, marijuana has been listed as a "Schedule I" drug, 
placing it on par with heroin. The government has repeatedly rejected 
appeals for reclassification.

"Marijuana shouldn't be listed as Schedule I," US Representative Earl 
Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon, said. He said the decision left 
"patients and marijuana businesses trapped between state and federal laws."

Yesterday's DEA decision was a response to a 2011 petition by two 
former state governors who had urged federal agencies to reclassify 
marijuana as a drug with accepted medical uses.

In a letter to the petitioners, the DEA said it had asked the 
Department of Health and Human Services for a scientific and medical 
evaluation.

"HHS concluded that marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no 
accepted medical use in the US, and lacks an acceptable level of 
safety for use even under medical supervision," the letter said.

That assessment comes amid statistics showing zero overdose deaths 
due to marijuana each year at a time of an alarming rise of 
heroin-related deaths in the US as politicians debate remedies for 
exploding opioid abuse.

Twenty-five states have sanctioned some forms of marijuana use for 
medical purposes. Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and the 
District of Columbia now allow recreational use for adults, while 
California and eight other states have recreational or medical 
marijuana proposals headed for their 2016 ballots.

On Wednesday, Arizona became the latest state to certify a ballot 
initiative to legalise recreational marijuana for its November ballot.

The position of the US government on marijuana has impacts for states 
that have legalised its recreational or medical use. Doctors and 
businesses growing, selling or prescribing cannabis may be operating 
legally within a given state but still acting in opposition to 
federal law, risking arrest and sanctions.

Legal marijuana businesses have difficulty finding banks that will 
work with them, also due to concerns about breaking federal law.

Some experts have argued that medical marijuana could help cut opioid use.

Taylor West, deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry 
Association, said the DEA's decision would curtail research since 
marijuana would remain a criminal product.

"Research institutions are going to be somewhat hesitant if they 
think they will potentially jeopardise other research funding," she said.

"This decision by the DEA really flies in the face of objective science."

Smart Approaches to Marijuana, an alliance of doctors, policy makers 
and treatment professionals who oppose legalisation, took a different view.

"I think it was a balanced decision and isn't surprising to the 
scientific community," said president Kevin Sabat.

Meanwhile, the DEA will allow more growers to apply for certification 
by the agency to help supply researchers "with a more varied and 
robust supply of marijuana". Now the University of Mississippi is the 
lone such supplier.

Reuters
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom