Eric Blair
Activist Post
The Controlled Substance Act of 1970 legally classified drugs based on their potential danger to users. The most dangerous of all known substances were labeled Schedule 1 drugs, which are defined as having potential for high abuse (highly addictive), no recognized medical benefit, and that there is a lack of safety concerning use of the drug.
Marijuana, now legal for medical use in 17 states and Washington DC, still remains a Schedule 1 drug alongside heroin and LSD. However, it is now obvious to everyone but the Feds that marijuana does not belong in the same category as heroin and should be rescheduled.
Because both Congress and the president ignore this issue like the plague, marijuana is unlikely to be rescheduled in the near future. Yet, that doesn’t mean that it can’t happen quickly as all it would take is a stroke of the president’s pen with an executive order.
With three states voting this fall for full legalization of marijuana, setting up a potentially disastrous confrontation with the federal government, it’s time for the Feds to simply reschedule marijuana to its proper classification.
The Case for Rescheduling Marijuana
Low Level of Addictiveness: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines addiction as “the compulsive use of a substance despite ongoing negative consequences, which may lead to tolerance or withdrawal symptoms when the substance is stopped.” By this definition, only 10% of marijuana users become addicted.
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