An opportunity to advance cannabis science—DEA rescheduling

An opportunity to advance cannabis science—DEA rescheduling
JAMA Psychiatry; Kevin P. Hill, MD, MHS; Anshul V. Puli, BS; 2/25
In 1970, the US Congress enacted the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), establishing a scheduling system for drugs based on their medical use, abuse potential, and safety. The most restrictive classification is Schedule I; cannabis along with other drugs, such as heroin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), have this classification. May 13, 2024, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the agency regulating substance scheduling, issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to investigate rescheduling cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. This was due to a recommendation from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reschedule based on its review of the medical and scientific cannabis research. Still, the FDA investigated HHS’ CAMU [cannabis’ current accepted medical use] claim and found some credible scientific support for treating “anorexia related to a medical condition, nausea and vomiting (eg, chemotherapy-induced), and pain.”