Marijuana Remains 'Schedule 1' Outlaw Under Federal Court Ruling Today

By Dennis Romero Tue., Jan. 22 2013 at 11:36 AM

ostrowitzs / Flickr

Despite growing evidence that marijuana is more than just a buzz-drug, a federal appeals court rejected an attempt to reclassify pot as a medically recognized substance.

The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today voted 2-1 to agree with lower courts that "adequate and well-controlled studies" do no exist to support the legitimacy of medical marijuana.

As it stands then, ...

... marijuana will remain a federal outlaw drug with no recognized uses -- worse than cocaine in the federal government's eyes.

The ruling won't help those states like California that have legalized medical pot, as federal authorities can still site its schedule I status and crackdown.

Joe Elford, chief counsel for plaintiff Americans for Safe Access:

To deny that sufficient evidence is lacking on the medical efficacy of marijuana is to ignore a mountain of well-documented studies that conclude otherwise. The Court has unfortunately agreed with the Obama Administration's unreasonably raised bar on what qualifies as an 'adequate and well-controlled' study, thereby continuing their game of 'Gotcha.'

ASA says it might appeal all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The group states:

ASA has consistently argued that the more than 200 peer-reviewed studies cited in the legal briefs adequately meet this standard [for legal, medical status].

Tags:

ASA, federal court, marijuana, Obama administration, schedule 1

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jianai582

http://al.ly/qxA

fredquarters

In 1972 a Presidential commission's report recommends that marijuana be legalized. The Commission concluded that marijuana users "are essentially indistinguishable from their non-marijuana using peers by any fundamental criterion other than their marijuana use." They found that, "Neither the marijuana user nor the drug itself can be said to constitute a danger to public safety." The Commission recommended "Decriminalization of possession of marijuana for personal use on both the state and federal levels."
Dick Nixon condemned the report, and threw it in the trash. He needed tools to harass the war demonstrators and keep the militant black man down.

mcdowelljc

I think POT heads will disagree with this... Calmer heads would say that the ASA probably needs to get more then just a chosen peer review to prove medicinal uses of pot.

Now, as we have seen in California, the medical use of pot is ABUSED! You just need to claim your hurting or your ...... Fill in the blank, it don't really matter what is in the blank. Now we have issues with people who don't need it for medical uses on pot a LOT! I would say terminally ill patience should get whatever drug they want or need. I am sure there are other issues that it can help, BUT they should be using a more prevalent peer review group AND more scientific studies to get this though.

barbarian.bob1

@mcdowelljc when you start with an insult and got nothing to say then stay in the kindergarden where you belong

mcdowelljc

1 Like

@barbarian.bob1 @mcdowelljc I think we know where you may stand on this.

I think I was fairly balanced on the subject. If the ASA would like to have this supported by the General Public and have the federal government agree with you, they need to use proper peer review groups AND reputable scientific research groups.

Stop allowing just kids and people who just want to get HIGH to get it as medication. That would be no different then allowing them to get any pain pill fort any reason! Your actions and response is VERY juvenile. You do not help the medicinal pot cause.

barbarian.bob1

@mcdowelljc @barbarian.bob1 you were not balanced at all. you seem to put yourself in the position where you can insult people and call doctors liars. name 1 single doctor whos breaking the law and precsribing phony scrips

capachino420

1 Like

I heard one person say" G.O.D. put this on earth, for me and you", and in the good book, just take a peek in GENESIS , look up and ponder the term "HERBS" , yo i mean, holla if you hear me, so they say," RELIGION and POLITICS don't go hand in hand", well you already know whats good, "Roll that shit, SMOKE that shit". peace GOD