U.S. will affirm its prohibition on medical marijuana

[Sgent]

Source: Washington Post

The government on Thursday will refuse again to allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes, reaffirming its conclusion that the drug's therapeutic value has not been proved scientifically, according to government officials, and defying a growing clamor to legalize it for the treatment of a variety of conditions.

In an announcement scheduled to be in the Federal Register, the Drug Enforcement Administration will turn down requests to remove marijuana from "Schedule I," which classifies it as a drug with "no currently accepted medical use" in the United States and precludes doctors from prescribing it.

The decision will keep the federal government at odds with 25 states and the District of Columbia, which have passed laws allowing medical use of marijuana to some degree. Members of Congress have called for its reclassification and on Wednesday, the National Conference of State Legislatures adopted a resolution asking the federal government to remove marijuana from Schedule I.

The agency will announce one policy change that could increase the amount of research conducted on marijuana, the officials said. The DEA will expand the number of places allowed to grow marijuana for studies of its value in chronic pain relief, as a treatment for epilepsy and other purposes. Currently, only the University of Mississippi,which holds an exclusive contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is federally licensed to grow marijuana for research purposes.



Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/08/10/u-s-affirms-its-prohibition-on-medical-marijuana/

[Feeling the Bern]

1. CCA and the ones who makes money off this fraudulent war on drugs must be smiling wide

Sickening.

[YOHABLO]

4. C C A ? can't find what that is

[Feeling the Bern]

20. Corrections Corporation of America. Private prisons.

[TeamPooka]

2. US to continue war against its citizens, use policy as a tool against people of color and enable

black markets and illegal cartels to flourish.
Mine is a Better headline for the press.

[Sand Rat Expat]

15. C'mon now, we can't let the for-profit prisons suffer! That'd just be unconscionable.

So what if some poor schmucks get locked up? Reelection campaigns don't pay for themselves, you know, and shareholders deserve obscene return on their investment. It's not as if the lives of the little people matter in the grand scheme of things.

[workinclasszero]

34. Your headline speaks the truth

All those billions of wonderful Big Pharma dollars, easy racist law enforcement and private prisons for profit speak very loudly in this country.

Loud enough to drown out the voice of the people saying enough!

[global1]

3. Big PharMA & The Pharmaceutical Lobby's Strike Again......nt

[Sand Rat Expat]

16. Yup. Heaven forbid we replace addictive painkillers with something safer and more effective. NT

[DrToast]

5. Who the hell decides this?

[msanthrope]

9. It should be Congress. Vote the downballot. nt

[YOHABLO]

6. So it's okay to smoke cigarettes, directly related to causing cancer .. but no to marijuana ?

Who is working for big Pharma on this? Let's find out who's on the take. What do you want to bet they all imbibe on a ''little'' vodka, or whiskey now and then. What hypocrisy.

[63splitwindow]

8. They gotta drink and/or pop "legal" pills to sleep at night.

[Warpy]

10. They're bureaucrats

who are only concerned with safeguarding their future employment at ridiculously high salaries.

Pot's an easy money maker for them from the street level black kid with half a joint up to the shipping containers with a hundred kilos back of the sweat suits or auto parts.

Plus, the plutocracy loves it. They think workers in pain will work harder.

[RKP5637]

26. Exactly what is going on, it's all about their $$$$$'s and failed policies over the years. None want

their feeding trough disrupted.

[63splitwindow]

7. This reeks. If I had a loved one in pain and/or no appetite that a doctor said it would help...

I would not be deterred by any statutes.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. The DEA doesn't see a career outside of drug enforcement. Entrenched bureaucracy. Shortsighted

Harry J. Anslinger

Anslinger had not been active in this process until approximately 1930.[7][8] Prior to the end of alcohol prohibition, Anslinger had claimed that cannabis was not a problem, did not harm people, and “there is no more absurd fallacy” than the idea it makes people violent. His critics argue he shifted not due to objective evidence but due to the obsolescence of the Department of Prohibition he headed when alcohol prohibition ceased - seeking a new Prohibition. Of 30 leading scientists whose views he sought, 29 said cannabis did no harm. However, Anslinger chose to pursue only the views of the one who did.[9]

[msongs]

12. a gallon of whiskey and a carton of ciggies are all the government approved meds you need nt

[Sand Rat Expat]

17. Don't forget the Oxycontin, for when the whiskey just isn't enough. NT

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. Prohibition deja vu. Canada will legalize cannabis, likely in 2018. Commission working.

During the Alcohol Prohibition, Canada was wet and the USA was nominally dry. But because of illegal consumption, criminal gangs got rich on importing alcohol from Canada.

Canada is ditching the Cannabis Prohibition. It is committed government policy, and the government was elected with it as one of the prominent promises.

It's going to happen.

Meanwhile, the DEA is stuck in Trumpville. If Donnie won he would cheer them on like this:

Make America Great Again by Winning, I say Winning, the War on Drugs. We can do it. Believe me. We just need to give the police and the DEA and Homeland Security special powers. Special powers to get around the barriers that stop them. They are being stopped. Stopped by useless laws against searches. Stopped. Stopped by a President who used to smoke. Can you believe that? Smoked. He probably gets high regularly on the roof of the White House. Or the White Hut for Obongo, as some you say. You know. It needs some gold styling. Gotta have gold or you aren't respected. But yeah, we can win the drug war. If we try. We haven't tried. But I can fix it. Only I can fix it. They haven't tried, but I would give them the power they need. We're going to win so much we'll smoke them, burn them. And the Mexicans will pay us. This I can tell you. They will pay us. They won't have any crime after we win the war.

[WheelWalker]

14. "Reefer Madness" is alive and well... and this decision would be it.

[bananas]

18. The DEA is run by science deniers. nt

[workinclasszero]

35. So damn true!

[Chicago1980]

19. It would be interesting if the Clinton campaign came out against this.

[SoCalMusicLover]

21. Not Gonna Happen

It is not that important an issue to her. Bernie would have continued to speak in favor of legalization, but a Clinton presidency would be identical to Obama's. Towing the party line, or perhaps more precisely....the pharmaceutical industry line.

States will continue to do their thing, legalizing one by one, while the Feds will continue their thing.

[Arazi]

27. Hillary Clinton is FOR keeping it Schedule 1, and not legalizing it

[YvonneCa]

31. Not so. She changed her position...

...and wants research done. http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/hillary-clinton-calls-easing-restrictions-marijuana

[EllaJones]

22. Its a good call.

Its a good call by the government. I don't know why people having issues

[GeorgeGist]

23. No, its idiocracy.

[Laser102]

24. No! Not a good call. Since medical marijuana, people have been abandoning their prescribed drugs.

Less overdose. Less addiction. I don't think this is good at all. The DEA needs to be stopped. And dismantled. Bad for Americans.

[Joanie Baloney]

28. Please, tell me why

I would love to hear from a member of DU exactly why you think marijuana should be considered one of the most dangerous 'drugs' around.

-JB

[neohippie]

30. Just curious as to how you can see this as a good call

There are proven medical benefits, there is a direct conflict of interest by the DEA because their existence is threatened by the schedule change, as is their funding, this ruling is not based on scientific evidence, there are far more dangerous drugs that are killing people daily and far worse social issues as a result of alcohol use but I am willing to listen to reason if you can provide some for your opinion, this ruling is more about preserving the status quo and making sure the private corrections and big pharma continue to benefit from the system in place but I don't see any justification for your claim that this is a good call

[TeamPooka]

36. Thanks for spamming us with your bail bondsman business in your sig. MIRT please!

no wonder you love prohibition.
You get to profit off the arrests of others.
Buh bye.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

37. I see at least one other person has recognized this as spam.

Ella Jones <a title="http://www.indiobailbonds.com/">Indio Bail Bonds</a> <a title="http://www.indiobailbonds.com/">Bail bondsman</a> Email: [e-mail]

Alerting (in addition to anyone else's alert) in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ....

[63splitwindow]

38. Are you being serious? You don't believe it should be between doctor and patient?

[Humanist_Activist]

39. Marjuana is less damaging than alcohol, how is this a good call? N/t

[Ruby the Liberal]

42. Thank you for this

I hadn't thought about bail bondsmen being on the list of industries that profit from the WoD and incarceration of non-violent 'criminals'.

I'll add that to the list of those who are Opposed to a plant.

[Odin2005]

25. This a good example of bureaucratic groupthink.

I remember hearing a story on the DEA a few years ago (on NPR, I think?) and a lot of the people there sound like brainwashed dogmatic drug warriors who genuinely believe that pot is dangerous. Some people like to think this is some conspiracy by various groups to keep pot Schedule 1, nah, it's just bureaucratic moronism.

[IronLionZion]

29. They should allow more research

instead of blocking it. Or accept studies from other countries where it is legal and properly studied for medical use. One would think even big pharma would want to research it so they can make some medicines.

There are powerful forces at work here trying to obstruct it.

[SCVDem]

32. I demand the government rescind

It's US patent it currently holds on cannabis which touts the medicinal properties of mj.

My 70 yo friend with bone cancer is finally able to keep food down with her chemo.

It's nice to see her smile again.

The government does not want us to smile. Fine!

We will think of all you heartless picks as we vomit and retch!

Fuck you!

[lark]

33. Liars!

This has everything to do with privatized prisons and nothing to do with health. They are lying about the science, it's proven that marijuana has MANY medical benefits. They just don't want the political fight so take the "easy" way out. Hopefully once HRC is president, this will get done and marijuana decriminalized and all the pot head offenders (non-violent) can get out of jail.

[vkkv]

41. Yep + Correctional Peace officers Union (prison guards) + Big Pharma +

Big Alcohol...

[vkkv]

40. Stupid as f*** ! - And I do mean that sincerely.. not rudely..