Pubdate: Tue, 16 Aug 2016
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 2016 The Washington Post Company
Contact:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491

DON'T RECLASSIFY MARIJUANA YET - RESEARCH IT

The DEA Is Right to Allow More Places to Grow Pot for Studies.

THE DRUG Enforcement Administration made headlines last week for 
sticking to the status quo: The agency declined to change marijuana's 
classification under the Controlled Substances Act to a lower, less 
strictly regulated schedule.

Marijuana sits alongside heroin and LSD in the DEA's Schedule I 
category, reserved for the most dangerous substances. Schedule II 
drugs include narcotics such as methadone and oxycodone that are 
medically useful but have a high potential for harm. Advocates say 
the current classification of marijuana makes little sense: They cite 
studies that show pot can help patients manage pain without any 
serious risk of abuse. The only problem? The Food and Drug 
Administration has done studies of its own, and its experts do not agree.

There's one way to resolve the debate: more research. Until there is 
substantial evidence that marijuana does more to help than to hurt, 
the DEA is right not to reschedule the drug. The agency took a step 
in the right direction by allowing more places to grow marijuana for 
research on how the drug could treat chronic pain and diseases such 
as epilepsy.

But even with the rule change, most scientists who want to learn more 
about marijuana's effects will find themselves hamstrung. Schedule I 
drugs are not supposed to have medical benefits, so the rules 
governing them do not easily allow for clinical trials. That means 
researchers and the DEA are stuck: The DEA can't reclassify marijuana 
unless research proves its effectiveness, but scientists have a hard 
time doing research unless the DEA reclassifies marijuana.

There may be a way. In the House, Reps. Andy Harris (R-Md.) and Earl 
Blumenauer (D-Ore.) recently introduced a bill that would carve out a 
special space in the country's drug code for marijuana. The law would 
make it easier for marijuana to be produced for research purposes, 
and researchers would have to jump through fewer hoops to get 
approval for their studies.

There's a reason Mr. Harris, a longtime pot skeptic, and Mr. 
Blumenauer, one of the drug's more ardent advocates, have teamed up 
on the bill: It's a smart idea. The country is clamoring for change 
on marijuana. But change should be based on evidence, and scientists 
cannot provide evidence until they are given the tools to do their job.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom