By DEA Rescheduling Hearing And Global Legalization
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is hosting a hearing on whether to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. This final step follows the April decision that moved medical marijuana into that same category. The shift represents a major transformation in American drug policy, occurring as nearly half of the United States has fully legalized the recreational cannabis trade.
Federal Lawsuit And State Updates
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued an order laying out the schedule for a lawsuit seeking to block a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plan to cover hemp products for eligible patients. The suit was filed by anti-marijuana groups and a cannabis-focused biopharmaceutical corporation. Meanwhile, Kentucky Gov.
Andy Beshear stated that the state’s medical cannabis program is now “over the halfway mark” toward “becoming fully operational when it comes to dispensaries.”
Virginia hemp businesses are calling on the legislature’s Joint Commission to hold a hearing on newly enacted THC product restrictions to establish a “complete public record” on the “consequences” of the policy. NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano explained in a Marijuana Moment op-ed how new federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration data shows that “cannabis-related drug treatment admissions are highest in jurisdictions where cannabis possession remains illegal and where marijuana-related arrests are most prevalent.” President Donald Trump also issued a statement recognizing Overdose and Drug Poisoning Awareness Week.
Study On Older Adults And Medical Cannabis
A new study found that medical marijuana helps 91 percent of older adults improve their pain, insomnia, and mood or behavioral symptoms. The research involved 124 people over the age of 65 who received medical cannabis from a specialized practice in Colombia. Most participants had not previously used marijuana, and their most frequent diagnoses were pain-related and musculoskeletal disorders, cancer, and neurological disorders.
Their top therapeutic objectives were relief of pain, mood or behavioral issues, insomnia, and motor symptoms.
Symptom severity decreased significantly across the three main symptom domains, with improvement in approximately 90% of patients. The first documented improvement occurred at visit 2 in 67.7% of patients with pain, 65.4% of those with insomnia, and 73.9% of those with mood or behavioral symptoms. The researchers noted that clinically effective doses were “low,” typically using just a few milligrams per day of THC, CBD, and/or CBG.
No patient showed worsening of symptom severity, and median severity scores decreased significantly from baseline to the last available assessment.
