The Trump administration is asking Americans for input on whether marijuana should be reclassified under international drug control treaties to which the U.S. is a party.
Currently, under both U.S. law and global agreements, marijuana sits in the most restrictive category of Schedule I. Domestically, that means it is not available for formal prescriptions and research on its effects is heavily restricted. Globally, it means that nations signed onto drug treaties are not supposed to legalize cannabis.
But now, the United Nations World Health Organization is set to launch a review of the current international classification of marijuana, THC, cannabidiol and other related compounds and preparations, and it wants input from member nations. In turn, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is asking "interested persons" to submit comments that can inform the country's position on the issue before it weighs in with the UN.
Specifically, FDA is inviting input on the "abuse potential, actual abuse, medical usefulness, trafficking and impact of scheduling changes on availability for medical use of" cannabis and its compounds, the agency wrote in a Federal Register notice scheduled to be published on Monday.
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