Article

2024-05-17 Home Front: Politix

US unveils proposal to ease restrictions on marijuana

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday unveiled a historic proposal to ease restrictions on marijuana, a rule that if enacted would also enable more research on its medicinal benefits.

The proposal, first announced in April, would reclassify cannabis from a so-called schedule one drug to a schedule three. Schedule one drugs, such as heroin, are considered highly addictive with no medical benefits, while schedule three drugs are considered to have a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it found "some credible scientific support for the use of marijuana in the treatment of chronic pain, anorexia related to a medical condition, and nausea and vomiting."

"Additionally, no safety concerns were identified in the FDA’s review that would indicate that medical use of marijuana poses unacceptably high safety risks," the proposal says.

President Joe Biden, a Democrat who is running for reelection in November, initiated a review of the drug's classification in 2022, fulfilling a campaign promise that was important to left-leaning members of his political base.

Currently, the drug falls under the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) class that includes heroin and LSD. It would be moved to a group that contains ketamine and Tylenol with codeine.

Reclassifying marijuana represents a first step toward narrowing the chasm between state and federal cannabis laws. The drug is legal in some form in nearly 40 states.

Posted by Besoeker 2024-05-17 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [11161 views ] Top

#1 Wonderful. Now Biden is soliciting the pot head demographic.

Posted by Whiskey Mike 2024-05-17 05:08|| 2024-05-17 05:08|| Front Page Top

#2 ...All of which ignores a serious, serious problem: this ain't yer Grandfather's weed.

Over the decades, some stunningly complex and detailed work has gone on in the shadows to 'improve' marijuana - so much so that if we were talking about the same effort to 'improve' crops and livestock to feed people, somebody would probably be looking at a Nobel Prize.

The end result though is that now, some strains of marijuana and increasing numbers of CBD products are within spitting distance of being a fairly powerful psychotropic drug, and the decades of 'no worse than booze and non-addictive' have glossed this over. We are starting to see people physically addicted - and there is no other term for it - to marijuana. Legalization is only going to make this worse.

Mike

Posted by MikeKozlowski 2024-05-17 06:56|| 2024-05-17 06:56|| Front Page Top

#3 Gain of function. It isn't just for bat viruses.

Posted by M. Murcek 2024-05-17 07:17|| 2024-05-17 07:17|| Front Page Top

#4 If there was a way for people to indulge (or wallow) in their chosen vice without hurting anyone other than themselves, that would be fine.

It's pretty much never that simple.

Posted by M. Murcek 2024-05-17 07:22|| 2024-05-17 07:22|| Front Page Top

#5 This absurdity about restrictions on Mary Jane is a good 60-70 years too late. It's time for the US to join the 20th Century and decriminalize/legalize marijuana NOW.

Big Pharma might hate it, but one might think the big banks & Wall Street would be pushing Congress to make this happen. Weed stocks have to trade on the OTC, and those companies cannot use the banking system.

Posted by DooDahMan 2024-05-17 07:30|| 2024-05-17 07:30|| Front Page Top

#6 the pot head demographic.

As we see here at Rantburg, this is very attractive to a portion of the Baby Boom demographic as well as the non-voting young pothead crowd.

Posted by trailing wife 2024-05-17 07:34|| 2024-05-17 07:34|| Front Page Top

#7 I myself took my last hit about 50 years ago, because basically I had enough problems with reality, without looking for more.
It will be 'interesting' to see how this plays out.

Posted by ed in texas 2024-05-17 08:27|| 2024-05-17 08:27|| Front Page Top

#8 Pot heads of the 60's run this administration today. Die off only solution with passage of time. Youth will see the problems and avoid current toughs and actions of today. Feminism, abortions, trans confused people self eliminating.

Posted by Dale 2024-05-17 10:06|| 2024-05-17 10:06|| Front Page Top

#9 ^ We can certainly hope. Not that we'll be around to see it.

Posted by M. Murcek 2024-05-17 10:08|| 2024-05-17 10:08|| Front Page Top

#10 Russia’s ‘first trans politician’ becomes a man again

Posted by Grom the reflective 2024-05-17 10:08|| 2024-05-17 10:08|| Front Page Top

#11 Up in smoke

Posted by crazyhorse 2024-05-17 12:07|| 2024-05-17 12:07|| Front Page Top

#12 Wonderful. Now Biden is soliciting the pot head demographic.

He's not picky. We all know that.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2024-05-17 12:26|| 2024-05-17 12:26|| Front Page Top

#13 It's all about personal choices, which is what I thought the 'Burg was all about.

Posted by DooDahMan 2024-05-17 23:11|| 2024-05-17 23:11|| Front Page Top

#14 Rantburg is all about the War on Terror, DooDahMan. All else is open for discussion, even drugs and Donald Trump.

Posted by trailing wife 2024-05-17 23:24|| 2024-05-17 23:24|| Front Page Top

14:55 Elmerert Hupens2660
14:43 Gleng Whaick2262
14:41 EMS Artifact
14:35 SteveS
14:25 3dc
13:45 3dc
13:40 NoMoreBS
13:36 Old Salty
13:34 Regular joe
13:20 Lord Garth
13:17 ed in texas
13:05 Elmomoter Mussolini9149
13:01 Procopius2k
12:45 swksvolFF
12:23 swksvolFF
12:18 Elmomoter Mussolini9149
12:09 Elmomoter Mussolini9149
12:07 swksvolFF
12:04 swksvolFF
11:51 Phererong Whavique2804
11:40 Old Patriot
11:22 Jay Jay
11:16 Grom the Affective
11:16 YT255
Merry-Go-Blog