August 05, 2024
Area(s) of Interest:
Advocacy
What you need to know: CMA submitted comments to the DOJ and DEA in support of the DEA’s proposal to re-classify cannabis from a Schedule I to Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act. This change would be a vital first step in increasing medical research, including through clinical trials, into the benefits and limitations of medical cannabis for the treatment of disease and illness.
The California Medical Association (CMA) and the Medical Cannabis Research Advocacy Alliance (MCRAA) submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) supporting the DEA’s proposal to re-classify cannabis from a Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) Schedule.
“Without such changes to the scheduling of this medication and treatment, we fear that the ongoing research will be further limited,” MCRAA and CMA stated. “The only way to truly identify benefits and opportunities in treatment utilizing medical cannabis is through clinical trials and research that allow clinicians and patients to fully access this medication, and this simply cannot be done today with the existing scheduling assigned by the DEA.”
The letter noted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is considered the agency best equipped to evaluate the medical use of cannabis, concluded “the risks to the public health posed by marijuana are low compared to other drugs of abuse,” and that “[n]o safety concerns were identified in our review that would indicate that the medical use of marijuana poses unacceptably high safety risks for the indications where there is some credible scientific evidence supporting its therapeutic use.”
Additionally, surveys have shown there is widespread support among health professionals for the use of medical cannabis. A 2022 survey of family practice doctors, internists, nurse practitioners, and oncologists found that over two-thirds (68.9%) believe that cannabis has medicinal uses, and a 2022 survey of members of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership found that “Nurse leaders overwhelmingly supported patients’ use of medical cannabis.”
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