Today, lawyers for the Drug Enforcement Administration have begun making the case for moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. It’s the first day of at least a week’s worth of discussion on the topic.
The hearing wasn’t livestreamed, however Marijuana Moment was able to get firsthand accounts about what was spoken about on the day.
A lawyer for the DEA started by setting the ground rules. “The government is not putting forth any evidence to suggest marijuana is not dangerous. All controlled substances are dangerous. However, controlled substances must be evaluated by risks they pose, balanced by medical benefits they provide.”
The FDA then went into how it came to the conclusion that marijuana should be moved to Schedule III. They said that compared to other drugs in Schedule I, overdose deaths and withdrawal symptoms were much lower than anything else in the category.
There was also the anti-reform side who were able to cross-examine the lawyers, and more anti-reform lawyers will continue cross-examine the FDA official tomorrow. After that, a doctor from New Hampshire will give testimony explaining how marijuana can help patients with pain.
Before the hearing began, many marijuana activists were frustrated by not getting access to the process and that all of the proceedings wouldn’t be live streamed.
This is certainly an active story and will be updated as new developments occur.
Read the original story at Marijuana Moment.
