The United Nations World Health Organization will be reviewing the current international classification of marijuana this coming June of 2018.
And the US Government is curious to know what You Have To Say About It.
There is a requirement within the Controlled Substance Act that compels the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “request comments” from the people. This call to cannabis users will create a larger store of anecdotal evidence to be used in informing the UN’s Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) how we stand on the issue of cannabis scheduling within the US – before they determine the reclassification of marijuana on an international scale.
The Federal Register will be publishing their official “request for comments” on April 9th, in which it asks the people of America to submit their accounts and opinions on cannabis,
“abuse potential, actual abuse, medical usefulness, trafficking, and impact of scheduling changes on availability for medical use.”
In order to submit your “comments”, you can do it digitally or in hard copy, (read through the Inspection Document and it’ll guide you through the steps in doing so). The deadline for submissions is April 23, 2018, so make sure to spread the word and submit your opinion. The WHO will use this information to determine if certain international restrictions be lifted or placed on these drugs.
Rather recently in 2017, the ECDD had tested and performed a “pre-review” of Cannabidiol (CBD) to determine the,
“potential for dependence, abuse and harm to health and make recommendations to the UN Secretary General on the need for and level of international control”.
Having not been included within the listed schedulings of substances in 1961, 1971 or 1988, the pre-review’s final ruling on CBD is that: there is no evidence it holds the same abuse or ill effects to the substances listed within the former studies (including cannabis and THC). They determined with the 2017 findings it does not justify scheduling, nor changing the status of cannabis (the primary source material), however does qualify CBD for a critical review.
As we within the industry all know, CBD has proven to provide a plethora of benefits both on a cellular and psychological level to its users and patients, and according to the ECDD’s findings, it seems like they agree.
Moving forward, the next meeting in June 2018, will be the ECDD’s fortieth summit and waiting on the docket is a pre-review of cannabis extracts and tinctures, and a recommendation to hold a critical review of CBD extracts and tinctures as well (if you take the time to read the pre-review, you’ll know why).
We are making headway. After the June 2018 meeting, cannabis may be rescheduled internationally, which is sure to shake up the restrictions and regulatory landscape for those within the industry and users alike within the US.
However is it safe to assume that marijuana will be deemed beneficial after the conference? Or that it will be descheduled even after the input provided by the people and pre-review and critical review process? Perhaps… however it will be better to remain equitable in case it falls short of expectations.
Make sure to send in your comments to the FDA by visiting www.regulations.gov and searching under “Comments Due”.
And to read more about what the fallout would look like, read our post on the implications of re-scheduling cannabis.
Here at Kush Marketplace we’re interested in hearing your responses and projections for how this will affect your business and consumers. Let us know by filling out this survey!
