re: DEA announces that marijuana will remain a Schedule 1 drug - like LSD & heroin

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First, I am not anti- or pro- weed, though I find it incredibly disingenuous the number of people screaming for the legalization of "medicinal" marijuana as a means to recreational use. Just be honest. Second, all of the conspiracy theories about government and big pharma are amusing. The marijuana plant is schedule I and should be because it has no FDA approved medical indication. Synthetic THC is an approved FDA drug and is not schedule I. Meth is schedule II because it also has an FDA approved indication and is sold as Desoxyn. The FDA and government are not trying to prevent the legalization of cannabinoids. I don't have any colleagues that deny the potential utility of drugs targeting the cannabinoid system (CB1 or CB2). Sativex (Nabiximols) is approved in the UK, parts of Europe and Canada. It is a spray combination of 1:1 THC and CBD. The FDA granted it "fast track" review status for cancer pain. The phase III trial ended at the end of 2015. Bad news, the results of the trial showed no benefit over placebo, and far inferior performance to the control of pain with opioids. We have a very rigorous process for the approval of pharmaceuticals and there have been no large-scale (successful) trials of medicinal marijuana that would compel its approval beyond currently available treatments. I suspect Sativex will continue to seek approval for a number of other indications in future trials.

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