Rescheduling medical marijuana opens Pandora’s box | OPINION
Picture this — hundreds of dispensaries closed in
The
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The letter was accompanied by a 250-page treatise which supports the proposed change, while also admitting safety data was scarce, and calling out state programs with inconsistent product standards. Marijuana currently has a Schedule I classification, meaning it has no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule III drugs, like codeine and barbiturates, have a legitimate use and are considered safer, with only a moderate to low potential for dependence.
If this recommendation is adopted, would doctors be able to write prescriptions for marijuana products; such as flowers, concentrates, topicals and edibles? The answer is "maybe," because federal regulations put it in a gray area. Neither fish nor fowl, marijuana would still be considered a controlled substance, but not an FDA-approved prescription drug, and patients would still need a doctor's prescription to get it in
Thousands of medical marijuana dispensaries in
If marijuana was moved to Schedule III, could the FDA unilaterally approve it, and declare it a "safe and effective drug?" No, because obtaining FDA approval is a rigorous process, typically taking years, as Phase 1-4 clinical trials are conducted with only 13.8% of drugs submitted receiving final approval. Clinical trials are expensive, and may require the participation of thousands of volunteer subjects, in order to find out if a drug is truly safe and effective. Even after approval, drugs may be subject to recall, and indications for use made more restrictive. There is no quick and easy path to FDA approval, and trying to do this would upend years of important work by the FDA, which has a history of protecting the public from dangerous drugs, such as thalidomide, quinine sulfate and carbinoxamine.
Some of the harmful effects of marijuana are well-known, with others discovered only recently. It can have deleterious effects on the respiratory system, and may also be associated with major cardiovascular events, including: stroke, heart attack, arrhythmias, blood clotting abnormalities and blood vessel disease. Short- and long-term cognitive impairment issues may occur, and there can be serious effects on the neurologic development of young people, with an increased risk for the development of psychosis and schizophrenia. A landmark study involving more than 200,000 young people was published in 2021. It found heavy use of marijuana by teens and young adults with mood disorders was significantly associated with an increased risk of self-harm and death by suicide and homicide. It is a sad irony
The proposed rescheduling could also open the door for the reclassification of other Schedule I drugs, such as "magic mushrooms" and psychedelics that have recently been "legalized" as medical treatments in
FDA-approved medications containing Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as well as cannabidiol (CBD), both chemical constituents of marijuana, have been used as appetite stimulants, anti-nausea agents and for pediatric seizure disorders. The argument marijuana must be rescheduled in order to do clinical research is incorrect, as there are currently more than 180 clinical trials in the
Though the federal government will ultimately decide whether or not to legalize controlled substances such as marijuana, rescheduling is not the correct path to follow. Politics should not be driving this issue, as the FDA and the entire medical community should have the right to decide whether or not marijuana is a safe and effective prescription drug.
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