State Versus FDA Regulation of Medical Marijuana There was a consensus amongst the interviewees that there is need for regulation of marijuana as medicine, whether that regulation be at the state or federal level—through the FDA—is where the conversations departed. While several of the interviewees discussed the pros and cons of state versus FDA regulation, listing advantages and disadvantages of one or the other, only three of the interviewees expressed a definite “yes” that marijuana as medicine needs to be regulated through the FDA and nine expressed a strong conviction that, if federal prohibition were to end, the regulation needs to be left to the individual states. Additionally, the majority of those respondents who believe it should
…show more content…
The amount of data that could be collected to conduct the research necessary to determine marijuana 's effectiveness as a medicine for various conditions, both medical and mental health.
The stamp of approval from the Federal Government would help eliminate the stigma that marijuana is a street drug and promote the idea that it is a safe and beneficial medicine.
Medical insurance coverage, if medical marijuana is regulated through the FDA then laws could be passed to insist that it be covered by medical insurance.
Disadvantages of FDA Regulation
The politics surrounding federal regulation. The federal government has been “vehemently opposed” to marijuana in its continued probation. Even if the federal government were to decriminalize marijuana, it would take a generational change within the FDA to alter this embedded attitude and mindset for the FDA to successfully regulate it. Research at the federal level up to now has focused on the negative effects of marijuana, thus there is a distrust that the FDA would look for the beneficial effects of marijuana as a medicine.
The FDA does not have a proven track record and has made errors in both approving and disapproving products, including medicines, in the …show more content…
This view, premised by the belief that marijuana is harmful and should not be made legal, takes the approach that through education and reform, smart policies can be developed that decrease marijuana use. Yet, at the same time, these policies should not harm marijuana users, including vulnerable populations, and low-level dealers with arrest records that stigmatize them for life and in ways that make it even harder for them to break free from cycles of substance dependence. Counter to this, is the view expressed by another respondent that marijuana use should not be viewed as substance abuse disorder because it hampers forward thinking. Instead, while also being mindful of the potential harm to certain psychiatric sub-roots, marijuana should be viewed as having some medicinal benefit and that not everyone who uses it is placed in the punitive category of substance abuse. It is only then will there be an even handed approach to marijuana regulation on the basis of
The amount of data that could be collected to conduct the research necessary to determine marijuana 's effectiveness as a medicine for various conditions, both medical and mental health.
The stamp of approval from the Federal Government would help eliminate the stigma that marijuana is a street drug and promote the idea that it is a safe and beneficial medicine.
Medical insurance coverage, if medical marijuana is regulated through the FDA then laws could be passed to insist that it be covered by medical insurance.
Disadvantages of FDA Regulation
The politics surrounding federal regulation. The federal government has been “vehemently opposed” to marijuana in its continued probation. Even if the federal government were to decriminalize marijuana, it would take a generational change within the FDA to alter this embedded attitude and mindset for the FDA to successfully regulate it. Research at the federal level up to now has focused on the negative effects of marijuana, thus there is a distrust that the FDA would look for the beneficial effects of marijuana as a medicine.
The FDA does not have a proven track record and has made errors in both approving and disapproving products, including medicines, in the …show more content…
This view, premised by the belief that marijuana is harmful and should not be made legal, takes the approach that through education and reform, smart policies can be developed that decrease marijuana use. Yet, at the same time, these policies should not harm marijuana users, including vulnerable populations, and low-level dealers with arrest records that stigmatize them for life and in ways that make it even harder for them to break free from cycles of substance dependence. Counter to this, is the view expressed by another respondent that marijuana use should not be viewed as substance abuse disorder because it hampers forward thinking. Instead, while also being mindful of the potential harm to certain psychiatric sub-roots, marijuana should be viewed as having some medicinal benefit and that not everyone who uses it is placed in the punitive category of substance abuse. It is only then will there be an even handed approach to marijuana regulation on the basis of