While the official/unofficial weed holiday 4/20 may have passed, it looks like marijuana enthusiasts might want to toke up again for this one.
In the past the DEA has been pretty high strung against the plant, denying that it could ever have medical benefits. But it seems they have had a change of heart as they recently green-lit a clinical trial of smoking marijuana for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military veterans.
There have been plenty of studies behind medical marijuana, such as cannabis extracts like cannabidiol. However, this marks the first time law enforcement regulators are moving to turn the plant into a medical drug.
This decision marks a notable shift in the way the drug enforcement agency has viewed marijuana. Especially for medical and possibly recreational use.
Before, the agency was very adamant in restricting the legalization of pot, even for medicinal purposes. In an interview this past November with CBS News, head of the DEA, Chuck Rosenberg, considered the idea of medical marijuana as “a joke”. He also continued by saying,
“What really bothers me is the notion that marijuana is also medicinal-because it’s not. 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.”
This is probably because you’ve never given researchers a chance to study it, Chuck. But it looks like you are now and I’m glad to see you’ve opened up your mind to it!
Source: Fortune
