There have been a variety of medical and legal issues surrounding rescheduling marijuana for decades. As previously mentioned, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug per the Controlled Substance Act. Marijuana is considered by the CSA to have great potential for abuse, no established medical usage, and cannot be used in a safe manner (Belenko & Spohn, 2015, p. 20).
The number of legal issues pertaining to rescheduling marijuana are countless. Since marijuana is a Schedule I drug, growing, selling, and possessing the drug is considered a Federal crime (Kamin, 2015, p. 427). However over twenty-three states currently all the use of marijuana for medical purposes (Kamin, 2015, p. 427). Four states have even adopted tax-and-regulate …show more content…
Any person who handles controlled substances or any chemicals listed (such as drug manufacturers, wholesale distributors, pharmacies, hospitals, doctors, and scientific researchers) must register with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the U.S. Department of Justice (Marijuana and the Controlled Substances Act, 2014). Registrants must keep accurate and complete records of all transactions involving controlled substances, maintain detailed inventories of the substances in their possession, and ensure that controlled substances are securely stored and safeguarded in accordance with regulations of the DEA, as well as periodically file reports with the DEA (Marijuana and the Controlled Substances Act, 2014). The CSA creates a “closed system” of dispersal in which distribution may lawfully occur between registered handlers of controlled substances, referred to as “registrants” (Marijuana and the Controlled Substances Act, 2014). Only licensed medical practitioners who are registered with the DEA are approved to prescribe controlled substances to patients listed in Schedules II-V to patients (Marijuana and the Controlled Substances Act, 2014). In other words, a particularly controlled substance is always under the control of a DEA-registered person …show more content…
While it seems useless to certain members of congress, a great amount of people all over the nation turn to the drug as a means for relief. However, although it may be legal in some states individuals still face chances of being penalized on federal levels for possessing the drug. Why are people being hindered from receiving the medication which relieves their symptoms and is instead being forced to take pills? It has also been a proven fact that the drug produces millions in taxes and revenue. Additionally, marijuana is the least harsh drug out of all the drugs associated with Schedule I, so why is the drug still considered a Schedule I drug Federally