FDA Is Asking for Americans’ Opinion on Marijuana Legalization

As the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) plans to review the international classification of marijuana and related cannabinoids, the U.S. FDA is calling on Americans to submit their opinions. The remarks will be used to help gauge the U.S.’s position regarding marijuana at a WHO meeting in June.

The WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence meeting will focus the current international classification of marijuana and will provide a preliminary recommendation to the UN Secretary General, according to Forbes. Following the recommendation, a more in-depth analysis may take place. The outcome of that analysis could change the scheduling of marijuana internationally.

Rescheduling marijuana internationally could help expedite efforts to reschedule it in the U.S.

The FDA is interested in comments regarding:

• Potential for abuse
• Legitimate abuse of marijuana
• Trafficking
• The potential impact that scheduling changes on availability of medical marijuana and associated cannabinoids may have
• Medicinal usefulness

The WHO recommended that CBD be analyzed further after last year’s recommendations showing that it does have medicinal benefits. CBD is not on any international controlled substance list. It remains on the U.S.’s Controlled Substance Act as a Schedule I drug, even after the WHO review determined that CBD “has been demonstrated as an effective treatment of epilepsy in several clinical trials”  and is “generally well tolerated with a good safety profile.”

Those interested in submitting a comment may do so by April 23 on the Regulations.gov website.