4 Reasons Not to Classify CBD as Schedule I Substance

A few lines in the Federal Register released on December 14. 2016, made a lot of noise and worried everyone from marijuana entrepreneurs to medical cannabis patients to lawmakers. There was a new Administration Controlled Substances Code Number for “marihuana extracts” as they call it. DEA officials say they did it in order to make the U.S. laws more compliant with the international drug-control treaties and agreements. But in practice, DEA just shut the gray area in the current marijuana laws that allowed people to use cannabinoids for medical purposes without breaking the law. Even more, the register says that all types of cannabis genus, including hemp, are federally illegal. That means that even hemp-derived CBD oils that are widely used for treating people, especially kids suffering from severe conditions like epilepsy, may become illegal.

But when you think about it, it becomes clear that CBD oils cannot be treated as Schedule I substances. And here are the four major reasons why the DEA should revise the way it treats cannabinoids.

CBD has medicinal value

According to DEA, Schedule I substances are defined as the ones that have “no currently accepted medical use” and have a high potential for abuse. It may be true for the substances like heroin or LSD, but it is definitely a lie when it comes to cannabinoids. A whole spectrum of studies and numerous medical cannabis patients show that cannabis oils, and in particular CBD oils, may be helpful to people suffering from cancer, breast cancer, or even severe forms of epilepsy.

All these examples show that CBD helps people and does not seem to hurt them. But the DEA’s statement denies the medicinal potential of cannabinoid and continues to insist that CBD is as harmful as other Schedule I drugs are.

Government research shows CBD has medical benefit

Along with numerous studies funded by marijuana activists or businesses, there are a lot of projects that were sponsored by the government. In 2015, for instance, the NIH supported over 280 projects and spent over $111 million on cannabinoid research. At least 15 of that projects were focused on CBD only.

CBD is not psychoactive or addictive

Unlike THC (the second most famous cannabis component), CBD has no psychoactive effects and does not make you high. The cannabinoids in cannabis and hemp are not addictive either. In fact, marijuana is believed to be helpful when it comes to fighting addictions to other substances like alcohol, tobacco, opioids, or even heroin. Furthermore, there are a lot of substances that are nearly as addictive as heroin, yet they are not prohibited on the federal level.

Changing CBD status within the DEA’s purview

There are a few experts who believe DEA has overstepped its authority in its ruling on marijuana extracts and CBD oils in particular. This agency is supposed to carry out the law, not to create it. So, CBD oil producers and patients are clearly entitled to go to court and fight for their businesses or their right to get the medicine they need.

On the other hand, some lawmakers and marijuana industry professionals admit that what DEA did was not an act of war towards medical marijuana patients or businesses. What DEA did was just clarifying the legal status of the plant that is still prohibited on the federal level.