DEA Plans to Loosen Restrictions on the Use of Marihuana across states - In some states its legit and in some mixed and in some strictly illegal
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The Drug Enforcement Administration is attempting to loosen restrictions on marijuana in an historic shift in federal drug policy. It’s a move the Biden campaign first campaigned on in 2019. |
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If approved, marijuana would be reclassified from a Schedule I drug (like heroin and LSD) to Schedule III (like anabolic steroids and ketamine).  President Joe Biden has pardoned all Americans who have been convicted at the national level of possessing small amounts of marijuana. Officials estimate about 6,500 people with federal convictions for simple possession of marijuana will benefit.No-one is currently in federal prison solely for possession of marijuana. Most convictions occur at state level. But the federal pardons will make it easier for people to get employment, housing, and education, Mr Biden said. As a presidential candidate, Mr Biden promised to decriminalise cannabis use, as well as expunging convictions. "Sending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit," Mr Biden said on Thursday. He added that non-white people were statistically far more likely to be jailed for cannabis. |
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How the Heck did we get here ? For over 50 years, marijuana has been considered a Schedule I drug, meaning the DEA says it has no accepted medical use. |
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But, last year, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended that the DEA move marijuana to a Schedule III drug like less addictive substances.  What’sUP NXT then ? The White House Office of Management and Budget must review the proposal, then a public comment period would follow and a review by an administrative judge. It would likely be months before the change would go into effect. |
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Whom does the change impact actually: A classification change would mean fewer restrictions on production and research — it’s challenging to have authorized clinical studies on Schedule I substances. |
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Not legal: The measure does NOT legalize nor decriminalize the sale or possession of marijuana federally. But, it could change sentencing guidelines, drug testing for work, and access to public housing. |
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States that will be at Play once the restrictions are relaxed : The feds are following the lead of most states on the drug. Medical marijuana is legal in 38 states, while recreational use is allowed 24. The industry is worth an estimated $30 billion and easing federal regulations could lead to a boom in medical marijuana and reduce the tax burden by 70%, an industry group says. |
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Still regulated: The roughly 15,000 dispensaries in the US would have to register with the DEA — like pharmacies, which critics say the DEA is ill-equipped to handle. |
Medical Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana, refers to the use of cannabis to treat disease or improve symptoms; however, there is no single agreed-upon definition (e.g., cannabinoids derived from cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids are also used). The rigorous scientific study of cannabis as a medicine has been hampered by production restrictions and by the fact that it is classified as an illegal drug by many governments. There is some evidence suggesting cannabis can be used to reduce nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy, to improve appetite in people with HIV/AIDS, or to treat chronic pain and muscle spasms. Evidence for its use for other medical applications is insufficient for drawing conclusions about safety or efficacy. There is evidence supporting the use of cannabis or its derivatives in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, neuropathic pain, and multiple sclerosis. Lower levels of evidence support its use for AIDS wasting syndrome, epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis, and glaucoma. The medical use of cannabis is legal only in a limited number of territories, including Canada, Belgium, Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, and many U.S. states. This usage generally requires a prescription, and distribution is usually done within a framework defined by local laws. RecreationalAccording to DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge, Francis Young, "cannabis is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man". Being under the effects of cannabis is usually referred to as being "high" Cannabis consumption has both psychoactive and physiological effects. The "high" experience can vary widely, based (among other things) on the user's prior experience with cannabis, and the type of cannabis consumed. When smoking cannabis, a euphoriant effect can occur within minutes of smoking. Aside from a subjective change in perception and mood, the most common short-term physical and neurological effects include increased heart rate, increased appetite, impairment of short-term and working memory, and psychomotor coordination. Additional desired effects from consuming cannabis include relaxation, a general alteration of conscious perception, increased awareness of sensation, increased libido and distortions in the perception of time and space. At higher doses, effects can include altered body image, auditory and/or visual illusions, pseudohallucinations and ataxia from selective impairment of polysynaptic reflexes.[citation needed] In some cases, cannabis can lead to dissociative states such as depersonalization and derealization. SpiritualCannabis has held sacred status in several religions and has served as an entheogen – a chemical substance used in religious, shamanic, or spiritual contexts – in the Indian subcontinent since the Vedic period. The earliest known reports regarding the sacred status of cannabis in the Indian subcontinent come from the Atharva Veda, estimated to have been composed sometime around 1400 BCE. The Hindu god Shiva is described as a cannabis user, known as the "Lord of bhang". In modern culture, the spiritual use of cannabis has been spread by the disciples of the Rastafari movement who use cannabis as a sacrament and as an aid to meditation. Modes of consumption Many different ways to consume cannabis involve heat to decarboxylate THCA into THC;[29][30] common modes include:
Consumption by country
In 2013, between 128 and 232 million people used cannabis (2.7% to 4.9% of the global population between the ages of 15 and 65). Cannabis is by far the most widely used illicit substance, with the highest use among adults (as of 2018) in Zambia, the United States, Canada, and Nigeria. United StatesBetween 1973 and 1978, eleven states decriminalized marijuana. In 2001, Nevada reduced marijuana possession to a misdemeanor and since 2012, several other states have decriminalized and even legalized marijuana. In 2018, surveys indicated that almost half of the people in the United States had tried marijuana, 16% had used it in the past year, and 11% had used it in the past month.In 2014, surveys said daily marijuana use amongst US college students had reached its highest level since records began in 1980, rising from 3.5% in 2007 to 5.9% in 2014 and had surpassed daily cigarette use. In the US, men are over twice as likely to use marijuana as women, and 18–29-year-olds are six times more likely to use as over-65-year-olds. In 2015, a record 44% of the US population has tried marijuana in their lifetime, an increase from 38% in 2013 and 33% in 1985. Marijuana use in the United States is three times above the global average, but in line with other Western democracies. Forty-four percent of American 12th graders have tried the drug at least once, and the typical age of first-use is 16, similar to the typical age of first-use for alcohol but lower than the first-use age for other illicit drugs. A 2022 Gallup poll concluded Americans are smoking more marijuana than cigarettes for the first time. Adverse effectsShort-term Acute negative effects may include anxiety and panic, impaired attention and memory, an increased risk of psychotic symptoms, the inability to think clearly, and an increased risk of accidents.Cannabis impairs a person's driving ability, and was the illicit drug most frequently found in the blood of drivers who have been involved in vehicle crashes. Those with THC in their system are from three to seven times more likely to be the cause of the accident than those who had not used either cannabis or alcohol, although its role is not necessarily causal because THC stays in the bloodstream for days to weeks after intoxication. Some immediate undesired side effects include a decrease in short-term memory, dry mouth, impaired motor skills, reddening of the eyes, dizziness, feeling tired and vomiting. Some users may experience an episode of acute psychosis, which usually abates after six hours, but in rare instances, heavy users may find the symptoms continuing for many days. Legalization has increased the rates at which children are exposed to cannabis, particularly from edibles. While the toxicity and lethality of THC in children is not known, they are at risk for encephalopathy, hypotension, respiratory depression severe enough to require ventilation, somnolence and coma. FatalityThere is no clear evidence for a link between cannabis use and deaths from cardiovascular disease, but a 2019 review noted that it may be an under-reported, contributory factor or direct cause in cases of sudden death, due to the strain it can place on the cardiovascular system. Some deaths have also been attributed to cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome.There is an association between cannabis use and suicide, particularly in younger users. A 16-month survey of Oregon and Alaska emergency departments found a report of the death of an adult who had been admitted for acute cannabis toxicity. Long-term Psychological effectsA 2015 meta-analysis found that, although a longer period of abstinence was associated with smaller magnitudes of impairment, both retrospective and prospective memory were impaired in cannabis users. The authors concluded that some, but not all, of the deficits associated with cannabis use were reversible.A 2012 meta-analysis found that deficits in most domains of cognition persisted beyond the acute period of intoxication, but was not evident in studies where subjects were abstinent for more than 25 days. Few high quality studies have been performed on the long-term effects of cannabis on cognition, and the results were generally inconsistent.Furthermore, effect sizes of significant findings were generally small.One review concluded that, although most cognitive faculties were unimpaired by cannabis use, residual deficits occurred in executive functions.[65] Impairments in executive functioning are most consistently found in older populations, which may reflect heavier cannabis exposure, or developmental effects associated with adolescent cannabis use.One review found three prospective cohort studies that examined the relationship between self-reported cannabis use and intelligence quotient (IQ). The study following the largest number of heavy cannabis users reported that IQ declined between ages 7–13 and age 38. Poorer school performance and increased incidence of leaving school early were both associated with cannabis use, although a causal relationship was not established.Cannabis users demonstrated increased activity in task-related brain regions, consistent with reduced processing efficiency. A reduced quality of life is associated with heavy cannabis use, although the relationship is inconsistent and weaker than for tobacco and other substances.The direction of cause and effect, however, is unclear. The long-term effects of cannabis are not clear. There are concerns surrounding memory and cognition problems, risk of addiction, and the risk of schizophrenia in young people. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source: Cannabis- Wikipedia.Selected Extracts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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