A DEA agent that goes by the name Chuck Rosenberg says medicinal marijuana is a joke. Hit the jump to see why he thinks this way.
The chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration said that smoking marijuana should not be considered medical treatment on Wednesday, calling it a joke.
What really bothers me is the notion that marijuana is also medicinal—because it’s not. We can have an intellectually honest debate about whether we should legalize something that is bad and dangerous, but don’t call it medicine—that is a joke
Right now 23 states and Washington D.C. have laws legalizing marijuana in some form. Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Alaska have decided to legalize the drug for recreational and medical use.
An additional 17 states have approved legislation regarding “CBD-only” marijuana, a chemical compound of the plant that has a wide range of medical benefits.
Rosenberg said that people should not combine recreational marijuana legalization with medical marijuana.
There are pieces of marijuana—extracts or constituents or component parts—that have great promise. But if you talk about smoking the leaf of marijuana, which is what people are talking about when they talk about medicinal marijuana, it has never been shown to be safe or effective as a medicine.
The DEA did not respond to requests for comment from CNBC.
