Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance by the United States government. In order for marijuana to be classified as a Schedule I substance, that means that the federal government considers marijuana to have zero medical value. This of course is a slap in the face to science and logic, proven by the fact that the same federal government grows marijuana for medical reasons in Mississippi, supplies medical marijuana to four federal medical marijuana patients, and owns patents related to marijuana’s medical value. The hypocrisy increased even further this week when the United States Attorney General admitted in an interview that marijuana has medical value. Per the Huffington Post:
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the nation’s new surgeon general, says that marijuana “can be helpful” for some medical conditions, and wants science to dictate policy on the federally banned substance.
“We have some preliminary data that for certain medical conditions and symptoms, that marijuana can be helpful,” Murthy said during a Wednesday interview on “CBS This Morning” in response to a question about his stance on marijuana legalization.
While Murthy didn’t take the opportunity to endorse legalization of marijuana for medical or recreational purposes, he did add that he believes U.S. marijuana policy should be driven by science and what it reveals about the efficacy of using the plant for medical purposes.
It is way beyond time for marijuana to be removed from the list of Schedule I controlled substances. There is no scientific or logical basis for such a classification. Marijuana is medicine. Marijuana needs to be researched to see how it can help patients, and while there is private research being conducted, rescheduling marijuana would open the flood gates to research, which is something that would benefit the medical community greatly.
