Four states on board with marijuana rescheduling petition. Who's next?

[accadacca]

The petition started and by Rhode Island (Governor Lincoln Chafee) and Washington State (Governor Christine Gregoire) now has four state signatures. After Vermont became the third state in the petition, Colorado followed suit just before the Christmas holiday. Original Article by CNN

Rhode Island, Washington, Vermont and Colorado are four out of sixteen states and the District of Columbia that have medical marijuana legislation though it’s still federally illegal.

Advocates are hoping state government can succeed where they have been deferred. Addressed to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the petition seeks out a compassionate and logical means of handling marijuana. The petition does not ask that marijuana be pardoned from scheduling, but it request a reclassification.

Marijuana is currently scheduled as an equal to heroin, cocaine and crack on Narcotic Schedule I. The petition asks the DEA to reclassify as a schedule II Narcotic amongst drugs like oxycodone.

To aide in its request for reclassification the petition also ask that all parties including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration review new scientific studies relevant to the states’ effort. This would provide proof that “the vast majority of modern research” has found medicinal value in marijuana.

In 2001 the National Academy of Sciences suggested the “potential therapeutic value” of cannabis be researched, with the disclaimer that smoking the substance is a “crude” method of medicating.

The last time the FDA reviewed such studies was in 2006 and they emerged with “no sound scientific study” as a basis for opposition. A lot has changed since 2006, wouldn’t you agree?

“Since the last FDA review in 2006, the scientific process has identified and clarified even more of the therapeutic effects of cannabis through ongoing research and assessment of available data,” wrote Gregoire, a Democrat, and Chafee, a former Republican-turned-independent. “This petition presents this further evidence. It is now time for the DEA to reschedule the substance.”

Although similar petitions have been rejected before the DEA said they would “reply accordingly”. DEA spokeswoman Barbara Carreno gives” great respect” to state government, but at the end of the day says the petition will be given ”the same attention as a petition from a medical group or anything else.”

Carreno said petitions to reschedule a drug take years to review. The DEA does its own analysis, then refers the requests to the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services, which review their own research.

“Then they send recommendations back to us, and based on the recommendation we get, we make a decision,” she said.

While the DEA, FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services review this petition in a blas

[Sun Dance]

The feds have their heads in the sand.

[KapitanSparrow]

I am not a user so I really have no use for this legislation However, when I am older and my chronic back pain becomes unbearable, I will be smokin' my medicine for show!

[accadacca]

KS in a few years...

[chromehead58]

my eyes are bad i wish utah would get on board......

[rockgremlin]

Only way Utah gives it a nod is if the Feds outright legalize it...and even then Utah would do it grudgingly.

I think it's gonna take another generation before marijuana has a shot at legalization - unless Ron Paul gets in, which won't happen (unfortunately).

[Scott Card]

Marijuana is a Schedule I Narcotic in Utah like the Federal system. Actually, Utah tends to follow the federal law and I would not be surprised if a Utah legislator doesn't try to change the designation of Marijuana if the Feds do.