DEA facilitates cannabis research

In the United States, the agency responsible for classifying cannabis as a dangerous drug is the DEA. The Drug Enforcement Administration had announced that it would reclassify cannabis as a dangerous drug sometime this year. That will not happen, but the government drug agency will make it easier for researchers to access cannabis.

For Professor Robert Sievers, this is a major step forward: »If things go as planned, this could mark the dawn of the cannabinoid pharmaceutical industry.»  The DEA would grant researchers the right to grow and study cannabinoids completely legally. Basically, there would be no more limits on experimentation for researchers. An optimist, he has been waiting three years for authorization from the DEA to study the plant.

We had our doubts about the intentions of the DEA in April And the prediction was correct. The DEA will not reclassify cannabis as a controlled substance. Marijuana is therefore considered on the same level as heroin.

Access would be easier, but the barriers posed by the federal ban remain in place. In states where cannabis remains illegal, research into new, ultra-potent strains will continue to be complicated. Dr. Jacci Bainbridge, a professor at a pharmacy school, states: »It’s as if they’re showing us the way, but the path is littered with obstacles.».

The National Cannabis Divide

Cannabis is a divisive issue: some people can sell their cannabis freely, while researchers are unable to obtain enough to study those lovely little buds. For now, only the University of Mississippi’s laboratory can legally obtain cannabis.

Furthermore, the DEA still classifies medical cannabis as illegal, which means that thousands of dispensaries in half of all states are distributing treatments that are still illegal.

Researchers hope that with easier access to cannabis, they will be able to prove to the DEA that classifying it as a dangerous drug is inappropriate. By being able to study the plant from seed to flowering, researchers would surely uncover secrets that are still unknown. The public would also have easier access to information. It will still be necessary to convince universities to allocate funds for growing the drug, but its therapeutic potential could very quickly win them over.

Théo Caillart

Via The Cannabist