Why Marijuana is Considered a Controlled Substance ?

Cannabis supporters are expecting 2018 to be the year of green. Many states have legalized the drug and many more states are expected to decriminalize marijuana in the upcoming votes. One thing that is holding the community back is the constant stigma on marijuana. This makes many people wonder why marijuana is considered a controlled substance. Shouldn’t marijuana be officially labelled as a natural medication instead? Here is what we found out.

Controlled Substances

The stigma of being a controlled substance doesn’t always have to have a negative connotation. According to the FDA, a controlled substance is anything that has the potential to be addictive and harmful. There is a range with this determination, however. There has to be information showing that the benefits vs. the dangers are significant. Also, the drug needs to have both physical and physiological dependence to be considered.

Unsurprisingly, most drugs, both illegal and prescription, are considered a controlled substance. This changes the way that these medications can be available. Most prominently on this list are opioids. It isn’t only illegal drugs that get the controlled substance treatment either. Medications from methadone to even medications that are given to children like Adderall fall under this category. This means that in order to receive your medication you must sign for it with a valid state ID.

It may surprise you to know that Cannabis is still being recognized as a controlled substance. But, is it a fair assessment? Most supporters don’t think so.

Does Marijuana Qualify?

Before there was information available on marijuana, there was a great deal of misinformation floating around about cannabis. Even living in the digital age where information is easily available, marijuana is still considered by some to be dangerous. This has a lot to do with the stigma surrounding marijuana and less to do with the actual facts.

Cannabis Dispensaries hit its popularity during prohibition when alcohol was outlawed and was mainly used in poorer populations of the country. People were scared of what they didn’t know so like most things that are new, the drug was soon outlawed. In the 1960’s when marijuana popularity started to again pick up, the drug became classified as a controlled substance. Marijuana was seen as a physiological drug and took the brunt of the blame for a sudden rise in crime. However uncomfortable it made people, this still doesn’t qualify marijuana as a controlled substance.

If you compare the qualifications for controlled substances with the effects of marijuana, it doesn’t add up. There are hundreds of reports arguing that marijuana is not an addictive substance. In fact, in order to become addicted to marijuana, you have to have a preexisting addictive personality. Also, it should be stated that to this day there have still not been any marijuana overdose deaths. So this makes people wonder why marijuana is still being listed as a control substance. Luckily for this people, the tide is changing.

Removing Marijuana from the List

This week one of the most influential states in the country made swift movements to change the way we see marijuana. Pennsylvania cannabis supporters are looking to lawmakers to remove marijuana from the list of controlled substances. They argue that according the controlled substance standards, marijuana does not qualify. And they are not wrong. This comes on the heels of the war on cannabis that was reignited by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

While this may seem like a giant move for the cannabis community, it isn’t for the reasons you may think. PA has a strict law that states that anyone who is in possession of a controlled substance cannot legally obtain or own firearms. PA cannabis supports feel that this is in direct violation of their constitutional right to own guns. Removing marijuana from the controlled substance list would allow people who have medical marijuana certifications to possess both weed and guns.

Whether or not you are a gun supporter, this can only be seen as a positive for the movement of marijuana. If marijuana is removed from the controlled substance list it will also change the way that people are able to access the drug. This will also make it easier for marijuana to be tested on other health problems as well. This is especially true when it comes to the use of marijuana on children who suffer from disorders that have been proven to improve with the aid of marijuana.

Final Thoughts

While there seems to be some push back on marijuana regulations from our current government, the community is pushing back. Having marijuana be labeled fairly and honestly will be a big win for cannabis. The one thing that has become clear is that cannabis has more vocal supporters than ever before. These supporters are the ones who are standing up to big government in order to protect the drugs. As it stands now, 30 states have legalized marijuana for medical use. So isn’t it time that the drug gets classified as an all natural medical aid ?