ASA Submits Recommendations to FDA for International Rescheduling of Cannabis
This week, we submitted comments relating to the efficacy and medical usefulness of cannabis as a medical treatment. In early April, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a notice in the federal register asking for public comments on cannabis and its derivatives. These comments will help inform the response of the United States to the World Health Organization in potentially reclassifying cannabis.
Much like in the United States, under international treaties, cannabis is placed in the most restrictive classifications. The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, which is equivalent to the global version of the Controlled Substances Act classifies cannabis as a Schedule IV drug, which has the characteristics of being liable to abuse and producing ill effects which are not set off by substantial therapeutic advantages.
ASA’s comments focus on the fact that since the original international classification of cannabis, there have been thousands of research studies that were not incorporated into the decision-making process when cannabis was originally scheduled under United Nations protocol. ASA’s comments also include studies from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, The British Parliament, and International Cannabis and Cannabinoid Institution.
This call for comments marks an expansion on the WHO’s previous call for comment on cannabidiol only.
You can submit your own comments here. The deadline is tonight (April 23, 2018) 11:59 PM EST.
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