{"id":7078,"date":"2016-12-28T20:14:36","date_gmt":"2016-12-28T20:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/?p=5597"},"modified":"2016-12-28T20:14:36","modified_gmt":"2016-12-28T20:14:36","slug":"5-reasons-the-deas-marijuana-ruling-is-absurd-and-indefensible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/5-reasons-the-deas-marijuana-ruling-is-absurd-and-indefensible\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons The DEA\u2019s Marijuana Ruling Is Absurd And Indefensible"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0 5px 5px;float:right;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/5-reasons-the-deas-marijuana-ruling-is-absurd-and-indefensible\/\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"false\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div><p>We knew that the Trump administration would, in all likelihood, usher in a tough new era for marijuana legalization. But the DEA, or Drug Enforcement Agency, is jumping the gun. In the Federal Register dated December 14, 2016, DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg effectively made it illegal to use cannabinol, or CBD, as it\u2019s commonly known. CBD and CBD oil are cannabis extracts, most often used to treat people with certain medical conditions.<\/p>\n<p>But this new rule makes CBD a Schedule I controlled substance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Drug Enforcement Administration is creating a new Administration Controlled Substances Code Number for \u2018Marihuana Extract.\u2019 This code number will allow DEA and DEA-registered entities to track quantities of this material separately from quantities of marihuana,\u201d the Federal Register said. \u201cThis, in turn, will aid in complying with relevant treaty provisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That last bit about treaty provisions? That\u2019s the justification for the move. It\u2019s meant to make the United States more compliant with treaties and agreements involving drug and narcotics control. What the DEA is doing isn\u2019t actually creating a new law, but rather addressing a gray area in existing law. Marijuana is still federally illegal, though some states have passed their own legality laws. This new \u201ccode number\u201d brings \u201cmarijuana extract,\u201d or CBD (for example), under the Schedule I umbrella.<\/p>\n<p>Why is this a problem?<\/p>\n<p>CBD is one of two main components of cannabis. The other is THC, the compound that produces a \u201chigh.\u201d Typically, people who use marijuana recreationally are looking to get high. So, they are looking to consume THC. CBD, on the other hand, does not produce a high, or any psychoactive effect. Instead, it\u2019s almost exclusively used by medical marijuana patients to treat illnesses.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s an extract that has promising medical value, and by placing it under the Schedule I umbrella, the DEA is doing more harm than good. They\u2019re basically taking medicine from sick people with this move. It\u2019s really hard to justify. Maybe even an indefensible move. There isn\u2019t much reason to keep marijuana as a Schedule I drug, let alone extracts like CBD.<\/p>\n<p>If it\u2019s that hard to justify the federal prohibition of marijuana in general, justifying CBD as a Schedule I substance is damn near impossible. Here are five reasons the DEA\u2019s decision regarding CBD is absurd.<\/p>\n<p>1. CBD doesn\u2019t fit in with other Schedule 1 drugs<\/p>\n<p>In the DEA\u2019s own words, \u201cSchedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.\u201d Examples include heroin, LSD, and ecstasy. While you could argue that even those drugs may have medicinal value, including cannabis, and cannabinol especially, on this list is hard to justify. \u201cMedical use\u201d is the operative phrase here. And you don\u2019t hear about too many people struggling with abusive relationships with CBD oil.<\/p>\n<p>2. It\u2019s not psychoactive, addictive, or dangerous<\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s possible to abuse marijuana (along with anything else), dependence and addiction are rare. But when it comes to CBD specifically? It\u2019s not psychoactive (that\u2019s THC); it\u2019s not addictive; and there are no known negative side effects. In fact, CBD has been found to help people kick addictions to other substances. Again, this doesn\u2019t fit the description of a Schedule I drug.<\/p>\n<p>3. Government research has shown it to have medical benefit<\/p>\n<p>We mentioned that \u201cmedical use\u201d was an operative term, used by the DEA. Also, CBD oil is used to help treat addiction, which is a medical use all on its own. So, clearly, there\u2019s a conflict here. And the government\u2019s own research has reached conclusions that fly in the face of the DEA\u2019s decision. In 2015, \u201cthe NIH supported 281 projects totaling over $111 million on cannabinoid research. Within this investment, 49 projects ($21 million) examined therapeutic properties of cannabinoids, and 15 projects ($9 million) focused on CBD.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The government must see some sort of promise in CBD to spend more than $100 million researching it. Some medical uses that we know about so far? A treatment for psychosis and schizophrenia, and it helps kill cancer cells.<\/p>\n<p>4. The DEA may have overstepped its authority<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly enough, the DEA may have actually overstepped its legal authority in its ruling on CBD. According to a report from Leafly, which spoke with a Denver-based marijuana attorney, the agency can\u2019t actually make these types of judgments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis action is beyond the DEA\u2019s authority,\u201d attorney Robert Hoban said. \u201cThe DEA can only carry out the law, they cannot create it. Here they\u2019re purporting to create an entirely new category called \u2018marijuana extracts,\u2019 and by doing so wrest control over all cannabinoids. They want to call all cannabinoids illegal. But they don\u2019t have the authority to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hoban said the matter will probably end up in court.<\/p>\n<p>5. CBD helps sick people<\/p>\n<p>The biggest issue with the DEA\u2019s judgment? It hurts people. Plain and simple.<\/p>\n<p>People use CBD to treat medical conditions. It doesn\u2019t get you high, as it\u2019s not THC. CBD isn\u2019t a substance you take to the bars to try and use as a social lubricant. It\u2019s a tool that sick people use to improve their lives. Scheduling it among the world\u2019s most dangerous drugs is truly indefensible.<\/p>\n<p>You may remember the story of the Colorado girl suffering from life-threatening seizures, and who used the marijuana strain Charlotte\u2019s Web to alleviate them. She used that strain for one reason: It was rich in CBD, rather than THC. CBD was the only thing that helped, and effectively saved her life. There are many other people dealing with similar issues.<\/p>\n<p>By making it federally illegal to possess or use CBD? The government isn\u2019t helping anyone. It\u2019s only hurting people.<\/p>\n<p> <img src=\"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/5-reasons-the-deas-marijuana-ruling-is-absurd-and-indefensible.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"\"> <\/p>\n<p>News Moderator: Katelyn Baker <a href=\"http:\/\/www.420magazine.com\" target=\"_blank\">420 MAGAZINE \u00ae<\/a><br \/>\nFull Article: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cheatsheet.com\/culture\/reasons-the-dea-marijuana-ruling-is-absurd-and-indefensible.html\/?a=viewall\" target=\"_blank\">5 Reasons The DEA\u2019s Marijuana Ruling Is Absurd And Indefensible<\/a><br \/>\nAuthor: Sam Becker<br \/>\nContact: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cheatsheet.com\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Cheat Sheet<\/a><br \/>\nPhoto Credit: Desiree Martin<br \/>\nWebsite: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cheatsheet.com\/culture\/?ref=TN\" target=\"_blank\">The Cheat Sheet<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We knew that the Trump administration would, in all likelihood, usher in a tough new era for marijuana legalization. But&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.420magazine.com\/2016\/12\/5-reasons-deas-marijuana-ruling-absurd-indefensible\/\" class=\"read-more\">[Read More]<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1597,9,1,3],"tags":[4165],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7078"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7078\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannitrol.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}