Federal Government Rules Marijuana Has No Accepted Medical Purpose
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The federal government ruled on Friday that marijuana has no accepted medical use and should remain in the same class of drugs as heroin.
The decision comes nearly nine years after marijuana supporters asked the government to reclassify the drug to take into account the growing body of research conducted across the globe that proves it's effective in treating certain diseases, reports The Los Angeles Times.
The paper spoke to advocates who criticized the ruling but are pleased that the government has finally responded, which allows them to appeal to the federal courts.
In May several medical marijuana advocacy groups under the name Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis filed a lawsuit insisting that the DEA finally attend to the 9-year-old request, reports LAist.
Joe Elford, chief counsel for Americans for Safe Access told the Times, he was not surprised by the decision, which came shortly after the Obama administration announced it would not tolerate large-scale commercial marijuana growing operations.
It is clearly motivated by a political decision that is anti-marijuana," he said. He noted that studies demonstrate pot has beneficial effects, including appetite stimulation for people undergoing chemotherapy. "One of the things people say about marijuana is that it gives you the munchies and the truth is that it does, and for some people that's a very positive thing.The Times also noted, this is the third time that petitions to reclassify marijuana have been denied. The first was filed in 1972 and denied 17 years later. The second was filed in 1995 and denied in 2001. Both decisions were appealed, but the courts sided with the federal government.
California and many other states have legalized marijuana for medicinal reasons and a push to legalize it in general is expected to appear on the 2012 ballot in California as Proposition 19, writes LAist.
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DavidKC53 Feds Rule Marijuana Has No Accepted Medical Use: Do You Agree? http://sodahead.com/poll... 12 minutes ago from SodaHead
_TheFix Feds continue to push back on medical marijuana - "no currently accepted medical use" http://t.co/gPjTXpB 17 minutes ago from web
recklessam The Feds say that marijuana has no accepted medical use, overlooking how it could help 20 million unemployed Americans not give a shit. 1 hour ago from web
nancyguberti Feds rule marijuana has no accepted medical use; advocates plan appeal "on merits" (LA Times) 2 hours ago from web
lizmcq Feds Rule Pot Has No Accepted Medical Use http://huff.to/qlmeUp via @huffingtonpost R U KIDDING ME?
FlexDaCEO RT @Mishell3o5: The Feds say that marijuana has no accepted medical use, overlooking how it could help 20 (cont) http://tl.gd/blnu1m
nealhugh Feds Rule Pot Has No Accepted Medical Use http://huff.to/qlmeUp via @huffingtonpost dumb decision
zakariyajama The feds say that marijuana had no medical use,overlooking how it could help 20 milion unemployd americans not give a shit
Liberalibrarian Feds Rule Pot Has No Accepted Medical Use http://huff.to/qlmeUp via @huffingtonpost their alternative: http://www.alternet.org/...
FuckYoUggBoots RT @BestDamnTweets_: The Feds say that marijuana has no accepted medical use, overlooking how it could help 20 million unemployed Americans not give a shit. 10 hours ago from web
BestDamnTweets_ The Feds say that marijuana has no accepted medical use, overlooking how it could help 20 million unemployed Americans not give a shit. 10 hours ago from web
Adam_McNair RT @Iantunes113: The Feds say there is no accepted medical use for marijuana, overlooking how it could help 20 million unemployed Americans not give a shit 11 hours ago from Echofon
Around the Web:
MedicalMJ.org - Medical Marijuana News and Facts
Feds: Pot has no medical purpose - Democratic Underground
Feds: Pot has no medical purpose
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Legalizing marijuana is the logical next step. Drug enforcement officers and politicians agree that the Drug War is a failure. 40 years of wasting money and resources. 43.000 dead in Northern Mexico suggests the war has never been worse. During a meeting in Geneva last month, the Global Commission on Drug Policies stated that "criminalization of Read More... consumption did not reduce drug traffic." Even former Mexican President Vicente Fox has said that "prohibition isn't working" and that "violence against violence doesn't work." The only way the Government can influence marijuana is to legalize it. In California it is a taxable item in a State that is in financial crisis. Surely after 40 years of failure tells us it’s time to change tactics and have the Government profit rather than spend. This should be a tea party cause celeb.
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0 minute ago (11:14 AM)Propping up a failed drug war.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htmSteppenwoof: Propping up a failed drug war. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htmPermalink | Share it
4 minutes ago (11:10 AM)I talk to people on a regular basis, elderly people, moms, people who have to hide their medical use in shame... afraid of what people will think. They also say they have relief from their symptoms for the first time ever. They are walking away from pharma and going 100% natural for pain management - but they leave Colorado and they are criminals. It's use for PTSD alone is a lifesaver for sufferers.
9 minutes ago (11:04 AM)How much does the government spend on its war on marijuana?How much revenue would the taxes on legal marijuana provide for governments?
Its high time a war on the war on drugs was declared.............................................
12 minutes ago (11:01 AM)The real question is, at this point, does the federal Government have any use?
3 minutes ago (11:11 AM)Well.. give me a minute....
17 minutes ago (10:57 AM)Medical Marijuana, because only the sick are worthy of its benefits....What a ridiculous angle people look at this topic from.....
14 minutes ago (10:59 AM)I think that is a very good angle.
20 minutes ago (10:54 AM)Yet they have no problem rescheduling THC from 2 to 4, merely for generic pharmaceutical purposes. The feds do not really care about the people.
22 minutes ago (10:51 AM)Marijuana is only illegal because of the racism of the early 20th century... It's was widely believed that black ppl smoked weed and started raping and murdering white women... Alcohol is actually the worst drug out there, no one punches a bouncer when they are high on weed... Seriously hungry, happy, sleepy that's what it does
0 minute ago (11:14 AM)And I've handled a lot of cases of abuse where alcohol alone was a factor... but not once where the drug was marijuana alone.
23 minutes ago (10:50 AM)This plant should be legal to own and use as one wishes. It does not matter what religious conservatives think about this issue in the "Land of the Free"America is a secular, tolerant, freedom loving society and we need to stop spending 100s of billions of dollars a year investigating and incarcerating people over this useful, harmless PLANT.
Besides the irrelevant Bible says nothing about this so religious conservatives need to go back to stoning non-virgins and rebellious teenagers.
32 minutes ago (10:41 AM)ALCOHOL HAS NO MEDICAL BENEFIT AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE PLACED INTO THE SAME CLASS AS HEROIN.
33 minutes ago (10:41 AM)How the hell do you compare weed to heroin?
24 minutes ago (10:50 AM)It makes sense. Seriously, just think about it.
35 minutes ago (10:39 AM)what a punch of ignorant and politically motivated decisions by our elected officials. Politicians are so 2 faced it is hard to decide which face is the real one. Under what classification does alcohol fall, is it considered a soft drink, and how many more people have been killed by alcohol related accidents then pot smoking, Remember people that smoke pot stay home. It is easier to stuff people full of medication because the government and big corporation benefit very well from the sale of pills etc. pot which is a natural growing plant? I am also curious who decides that pot is a drug. Surely some of the man and women that have made that decision must have smoked pot, what an ignorant thinking. drug testers get over it it is a medication and not a drug,........
38 minutes ago (10:35 AM)I say just ask the President how does weed make you feel?
40 minutes ago (10:34 AM)No medical use yet we are wired for it... Hmmm?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocannabinoid_system
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6630507.html
Big Pharma is in the shadows???
42 minutes ago (10:31 AM)If marijuana was discovered today it would be considered a miracle drug.The only way this country will legalize pot is when all those who are in power that believe "Reefer Madness" is an accurate portrayal of weed and it's users are dead and gone.
Maybe another 20 years and we'll have people in office who will stop this nonsense and finally make it legal.
Crap!
First Posted: 7/9/11 03:03 PM ET Updated: 7/11/11 08:23 AM ET