The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration filed documents with the Federal Register on Thursday outlying its intention to not reschedule marijuana.
The filings, which are expected to be published Friday, included the rescheduling decision, a rejection of the medical use of marijuana, statements of principles on industrial hemp, and a move to allow more entities to cultivate marijuana for research purposes.
The filing was anticipated. News and details of the announcement started to leak on Wednesday evening and into the night, with DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg telling National Public Radio:
“This decision isn’t based on danger. This decision is based on whether marijuana, as determined by the FDA, is a safe and effective medicine,” he said, “and it’s not.”
DEA denied the rescheduling, citing it has a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use and it lacks accepted safety use under medical supervision, according to the filings.
“As detailed in the (Department of Health and Human Services) evaluation, the drug’s chemistry is not known and reproducible; there are no adequate safety studies; there are no adequate and well-controlled studies proving efficacy; the drug is not accepted by qualified experts; and the scientific evidence is not widely available,” Chuck Rosenberg, DEA’s acting administrator, wrote in the filings.
This story is developing and will be updated.