With the money still pouring into the DEA from Congress for funding the DEA has no incentive to do the right thing. For decades the money Congress gives this out of control agency insures that nothing will be done. Want a reschedule or turn around on Cannabis? Vote out all those that have had a chance to do something but did nothing, its as simple as voting them out of $187,000 per year jobs with the most lucrative retirement in the US, whether Republican or Democrat vote them out and be vocal about it. You have to expect nothing from this bunch, its the same one that put together "Fast and Furious" the gun running illegal scheme that caused the deaths of 250 Mexican and American Police officers; the DEA ran guns to the Mexican Cartels, not much chance from an outfit like that to do the right thing.
Feds mull marijuana's medical benefits
"As the Drug Enforcement Agency reconsiders marijuana’s place among the most restricted controlled substances, some advocates question whether the agency will willingly give up its hold on what they consider a life-saving plant.
The DEA has said that it hopes to release a recommendation within 45 days on whether marijuana will be lowered from a Schedule I controlled substance so that it could potentially be studied or used medicinally.
“To reschedule it, even on a federal level, will allow patients to get access to it for medical research and access,” said Shane Cox, executive director for the Amarillo chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.
“Seventy-six percent of Texans support marijuana on some level,” Cox said. “The list of patients who needed access to this medicine yesterday goes on and on.”
Currently, marijuana is placed in the highest tier of controlled substances alongside ecstasy, heroin and peyote. A Schedule I controlled substance is defined as having a high potential for abuse and has no medical uses. Schedule II through V substances, including drugs such as cocaine and methamphetmine, are recognized as having medical uses and can be tested and researched.
A drug can be rescheduled by legislation from Congress or by an administrative process that starts with a petition. The process involves many agencies, including the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Health and Human Services Commission.
“A lot of people have the misunderstanding that the DEA can free willy-nilly unilaterally reschedule, but we don’t have that authority,” said Russell Baer, staff coordinator for the Office of Public Affairs at the DEA. “We have to go get the medical evaluation from the FDA, then conduct our own investigation and review the totality of the situation. We are not bound by the scheduling recommendation, but the buck stops with us. We make the final decision.”
In a letter responding to questions from eight senators, the DEA said that it has received a scientific and medical evaluation and recommendation from HHS and hopes to release a final determination in the first half of 2016.
The DEA last considered rescheduling marijuana in 2011, but ultimately rejected it because “there are no adequate safety studies; there are no adequate and well-controlled studies proving efficacy; the drug is not accepted by qualified experts; and the scientific evidence is not widely available.”
“Texas doesn’t really do much of any research in medical marijuana right now,” said Phillip Martin, deputy director of Progress Texas. “The University of Mississippi is the only institute that does any federally backed research. Rescheduling would make it that much easier to qualify for federal grant dollars, and it would open the dialogue among the scientific community.”
The FDA said in March 2015 that it “needs to do all it can to support the needed scientific research with marijuana to characterize its therapeutic promise.”
The Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based public policy think tank, weighed in on the issue in October, saying that rescheduling will not suddenly legalize marijuana, nor will it lead to medical marijuana lining the shelves of pharmacies. They recommend the government “recognize the serious public policy risks born from limited medical, public health and pharmaceutical research” on marijuana and reschedule it for study.
Amarillo Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety have both said that a change at the federal level will not change their enforcement and that they will continue to arrest people in possession of marijuana.
Some advocates for full legalization are skeptical of the DEA’s intentions, especially considering a recent letter to eight senators that showed the agency withholding knowledge of the FDA’s recommendation letter when questioned by congressional staffers.
“The plain and simple truth is that government agencies seek to preserve themselves,” said Hunter White, communications director for Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition.
“Very rarely do government agencies seek to reduce their size and power willingly. ... the DEA receives billions in taxpayer dollars, plus millions more in civil asset forfeiture from the war on marijuana, and that is money that is hard to willingly turn down.”
White thinks the DEA will rule against rescheduling marijuana, instead waiting for a bipartisan bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Democrat Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act looks to expand opportunities for medical and scientific research on marijuana’s therapeutic uses.
The act would also specifically allow Veterans Administration doctors to recommend medical marijuana for veterans and completely remove cannabidiol, a non-intoxicating extract found in marijuana, from the federal drug Schedules. Cannabidiol is often used as treatment for epilepsy.
Renee Petros, founder of the organization Cannamoms, became an advocate for the medical uses of marijuana when her son developed an infection that affects one in 1 million children.
“We were traveling in Jordan when he got sick and deep down in my gut, I felt there was something not right,” Petros said. “He was tired, lethargic and there were things that didn’t add up.”
Petros’ son Brandon had his first seizure on July 17, 2010. He was taken to the hospital, where he continued to have seizures and doctors could not find the cause.
The Petros are a military family, so the officials at the American Embassy flew them to Germany, where Brandon was put into a medically induced coma for three weeks. It was discovered that he had febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome, which brings with it seizures that are resistant to seizure medication or treatment.
“When he woke up, he was not the same child. They pumped him full of medication, 20 different types, and he started hallucinating and trying to bite us,” Petros said.
“We tried to figure out what to do to get him off these medications. After much searching and failed treatment, I heard about cannabis. Some of these children (with FIRES) are in a catatonic state and are seizing continuously, but my son can talk and walk.”
Petros said Brandon doesn’t respond to cannabidiol like most FIRES children do and that treatment with a higher level of THC, the intoxicating ingredient in marijuana, is the only thing that works.
She thinks the government already knows the benefits of marijuana and points to patent No. 6630507, owned by the U.S. government, that states cannabinoids have particular use as “neuroprotectants” to limit neurological damage after stroke or trauma and in treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia.
Petros is now an outspoken advocate for complete marijuana reform and thinks that rescheduling is not enough for families like hers.
“I don’t condone breaking laws, but I am also not going to bury my son,” she said.
“You should not have to think about saving your child’s life and having to do it illegally. With that being said, I will do whatever I have to do. When I see my son happy on THC, able to talk to me like a normal 14-year-old, I know it’s worth everything in the world.”
Drug classifications
■ Schedule I: No currently accepted medical use; a high potential for abuse; the most dangerous drugs; potentially severe psychological or physical dependence.
Examples: Heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), and peyote.
■ Schedule II: High potential for abuse; possible severe psychological or physical dependence; considered dangerous.
Examples: Cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, oxycodone (OxyContin), fentanyl,
■ Schedule III: A moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence; drug abuse potential less than Schedule II, but more than Schedule IV
Examples: Ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone
■ Schedule IV: A low potential for abuse; low risk of dependence
Examples: Xanax, Soma, Darvocet, Valium, Ativan, Ambien
■ Schedule V: A lower potential for abuse than Schedule IV and consist of preparations containing limited quantities of certain narcotics. Schedule V drugs are generally used for antidiarrheal, antitussive and analgesic purposes.
Examples: Cough preparations with less than 200 milligrams of codeine or per 100 milliliters (Robitussin AC), Lomotil, Lyrica"
Article is found at: http://amarillo.com/news/latest-news/2016-04-15/feds-mull-marijuanas-medical-benefits
Feds mull marijuana's medical benefits
"As the Drug Enforcement Agency reconsiders marijuana’s place among the most restricted controlled substances, some advocates question whether the agency will willingly give up its hold on what they consider a life-saving plant.
The DEA has said that it hopes to release a recommendation within 45 days on whether marijuana will be lowered from a Schedule I controlled substance so that it could potentially be studied or used medicinally.
“To reschedule it, even on a federal level, will allow patients to get access to it for medical research and access,” said Shane Cox, executive director for the Amarillo chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML.
“Seventy-six percent of Texans support marijuana on some level,” Cox said. “The list of patients who needed access to this medicine yesterday goes on and on.”
Currently, marijuana is placed in the highest tier of controlled substances alongside ecstasy, heroin and peyote. A Schedule I controlled substance is defined as having a high potential for abuse and has no medical uses. Schedule II through V substances, including drugs such as cocaine and methamphetmine, are recognized as having medical uses and can be tested and researched.
A drug can be rescheduled by legislation from Congress or by an administrative process that starts with a petition. The process involves many agencies, including the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Health and Human Services Commission.
“A lot of people have the misunderstanding that the DEA can free willy-nilly unilaterally reschedule, but we don’t have that authority,” said Russell Baer, staff coordinator for the Office of Public Affairs at the DEA. “We have to go get the medical evaluation from the FDA, then conduct our own investigation and review the totality of the situation. We are not bound by the scheduling recommendation, but the buck stops with us. We make the final decision.”
In a letter responding to questions from eight senators, the DEA said that it has received a scientific and medical evaluation and recommendation from HHS and hopes to release a final determination in the first half of 2016.
The DEA last considered rescheduling marijuana in 2011, but ultimately rejected it because “there are no adequate safety studies; there are no adequate and well-controlled studies proving efficacy; the drug is not accepted by qualified experts; and the scientific evidence is not widely available.”
“Texas doesn’t really do much of any research in medical marijuana right now,” said Phillip Martin, deputy director of Progress Texas. “The University of Mississippi is the only institute that does any federally backed research. Rescheduling would make it that much easier to qualify for federal grant dollars, and it would open the dialogue among the scientific community.”
The FDA said in March 2015 that it “needs to do all it can to support the needed scientific research with marijuana to characterize its therapeutic promise.”
The Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based public policy think tank, weighed in on the issue in October, saying that rescheduling will not suddenly legalize marijuana, nor will it lead to medical marijuana lining the shelves of pharmacies. They recommend the government “recognize the serious public policy risks born from limited medical, public health and pharmaceutical research” on marijuana and reschedule it for study.
Amarillo Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety have both said that a change at the federal level will not change their enforcement and that they will continue to arrest people in possession of marijuana.
Some advocates for full legalization are skeptical of the DEA’s intentions, especially considering a recent letter to eight senators that showed the agency withholding knowledge of the FDA’s recommendation letter when questioned by congressional staffers.
“The plain and simple truth is that government agencies seek to preserve themselves,” said Hunter White, communications director for Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition.
“Very rarely do government agencies seek to reduce their size and power willingly. ... the DEA receives billions in taxpayer dollars, plus millions more in civil asset forfeiture from the war on marijuana, and that is money that is hard to willingly turn down.”
White thinks the DEA will rule against rescheduling marijuana, instead waiting for a bipartisan bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Democrat Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act looks to expand opportunities for medical and scientific research on marijuana’s therapeutic uses.
The act would also specifically allow Veterans Administration doctors to recommend medical marijuana for veterans and completely remove cannabidiol, a non-intoxicating extract found in marijuana, from the federal drug Schedules. Cannabidiol is often used as treatment for epilepsy.
Renee Petros, founder of the organization Cannamoms, became an advocate for the medical uses of marijuana when her son developed an infection that affects one in 1 million children.
“We were traveling in Jordan when he got sick and deep down in my gut, I felt there was something not right,” Petros said. “He was tired, lethargic and there were things that didn’t add up.”
Petros’ son Brandon had his first seizure on July 17, 2010. He was taken to the hospital, where he continued to have seizures and doctors could not find the cause.
The Petros are a military family, so the officials at the American Embassy flew them to Germany, where Brandon was put into a medically induced coma for three weeks. It was discovered that he had febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome, which brings with it seizures that are resistant to seizure medication or treatment.
“When he woke up, he was not the same child. They pumped him full of medication, 20 different types, and he started hallucinating and trying to bite us,” Petros said.
“We tried to figure out what to do to get him off these medications. After much searching and failed treatment, I heard about cannabis. Some of these children (with FIRES) are in a catatonic state and are seizing continuously, but my son can talk and walk.”
Petros said Brandon doesn’t respond to cannabidiol like most FIRES children do and that treatment with a higher level of THC, the intoxicating ingredient in marijuana, is the only thing that works.
She thinks the government already knows the benefits of marijuana and points to patent No. 6630507, owned by the U.S. government, that states cannabinoids have particular use as “neuroprotectants” to limit neurological damage after stroke or trauma and in treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and HIV dementia.
Petros is now an outspoken advocate for complete marijuana reform and thinks that rescheduling is not enough for families like hers.
“I don’t condone breaking laws, but I am also not going to bury my son,” she said.
“You should not have to think about saving your child’s life and having to do it illegally. With that being said, I will do whatever I have to do. When I see my son happy on THC, able to talk to me like a normal 14-year-old, I know it’s worth everything in the world.”
Drug classifications
■ Schedule I: No currently accepted medical use; a high potential for abuse; the most dangerous drugs; potentially severe psychological or physical dependence.
Examples: Heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), and peyote.
■ Schedule II: High potential for abuse; possible severe psychological or physical dependence; considered dangerous.
Examples: Cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, oxycodone (OxyContin), fentanyl,
■ Schedule III: A moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence; drug abuse potential less than Schedule II, but more than Schedule IV
Examples: Ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone
■ Schedule IV: A low potential for abuse; low risk of dependence
Examples: Xanax, Soma, Darvocet, Valium, Ativan, Ambien
■ Schedule V: A lower potential for abuse than Schedule IV and consist of preparations containing limited quantities of certain narcotics. Schedule V drugs are generally used for antidiarrheal, antitussive and analgesic purposes.
Examples: Cough preparations with less than 200 milligrams of codeine or per 100 milliliters (Robitussin AC), Lomotil, Lyrica"
Article is found at: http://amarillo.com/news/latest-news/2016-04-15/feds-mull-marijuanas-medical-benefits
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