Petition to Reschedule Cannabis (Marijuana) Per 21 CFR §1308.44(B)

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Petition to Reschedule Cannabis (Marijuana) Per 21 CFR §1308.44(B) Petition to Reschedule Cannabis (Marijuana) per 21 CFR §1308.44(b) Filed with the Drug Enforcment Administration by The Coalition for Rescheduling Cannabis www.drugscience.org October 9, 2002 PETITION TO RESCHEDULE CANNABIS (MARIJUANA) Exhibit A. Statement of the proposed rule .........................................................................................................3 Exhibit B. Statement of grounds..........................................................................................................................4 Part I – Introduction of argument.........................................................................................................................4 Part II -- Description of new relevant information............................................................................................10 I. Accepted medical use in the United States ...........................................................................................10 State laws.................................................................................................................................................10 Medical professionals ..............................................................................................................................10 Patients' experience and their confirmation by early studies...................................................................10 Reviews of earlier clinical studies ...........................................................................................................10 Basic research ..........................................................................................................................................10 Clinical research ......................................................................................................................................11 Route of administration. ..........................................................................................................................11 Pharmaceutical industry...........................................................................................................................11 II. Safety of use.............................................................................................................................................11 Acute side effects.....................................................................................................................................11 Documented safety of long-term cannabis use........................................................................................11 Side effects of the legal situation.............................................................................................................11 Cannabis as gateway drug .......................................................................................................................11 III. Dependence liabilty.................................................................................................................................11 Basic research on rewarding, tolerance and withdrawal..........................................................................12 Dependency compared to other drugs .....................................................................................................12 IV. Abuse potential........................................................................................................................................12 Use and Abuse .........................................................................................................................................12 Abuse of cannabis....................................................................................................................................12 Emergency room admissions...................................................................................................................12 Cannabis and dronabinol .........................................................................................................................12 Exhibit C. Summary of Evidence .......................................................................................................................13 I. Accepted medical use in the United States ..........................................................................................13 1) State laws.........................................................................................................................................13 2) Medical professionals......................................................................................................................15 3) Patients’ experiences and their confirmation. .................................................................................22 4) Reviews of earlier clinical studies...................................................................................................29 5) Basic research..................................................................................................................................38 6) Clinical research..............................................................................................................................48 7) Route of administration...................................................................................................................57 8) Pharmaceutical industry. .................................................................................................................60 II. Safety of use ......................................................................................................................................................63 9) Acute side effects. ...........................................................................................................................63 10) Documented safety of long-term cannabis use..............................................................................66 11) Side effects of the legal situation...................................................................................................72 12) Cannabis as gateway drug. ............................................................................................................74 III. Dependence liability .......................................................................................................................................76 13) Basic research on rewarding, tolerance and withdrawal. ..............................................................76 14) Dependency compared to other drugs...........................................................................................80 IV. Abuse potential...............................................................................................................................................87 15) Use and Abuse...............................................................................................................................87 16) Abuse of cannabis..........................................................................................................................92 17) Emergency room admissions.........................................................................................................99 18) Cannabis and dronabinol.............................................................................................................100 Comprehensive Bibliography............................................................................................................................103 Petition to Reschedule Cannabis (Marijuana) Exhibit A. Statement of the Proposed Rule The proposed rules for repeal, in the form proposed by the petitioners: The rule placing marihuana in schedule I [21 CFR 1308.11(d))17)] is repealed because cannabis has an accepted medical use in the United States, is safe for use under medical supervision, has an abuse potential lower than Schedule I or II drugs, and has a dependence liability that is also lower than Schedule I or II drugs. This is not a petition for the removal of marijuana from scheduling under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), but a petition to have marijuana removed from Schedule I and rescheduled as “cannabis“ in either Schedule III, IV, or V. A consideration of the appropriate scheduling of cannabis should be made on the basis of the scientific and medical evaluation required by the CSA and in accordance with existing law. Exhibit B. Statement of Grounds Part I – Introduction of Argument This petition is based on consideration of research findings not examined in prior proceedings, the emergence of new research findings about marijuana/cannabis since prior rescheduling proceedings, and research findings that cast the record of prior proceedings in a new light. The Controlled Substances Act specifies eight factors that determine control of a drug or substance or its removal from schedules. The CSA states that these eight factors will be considered when making any finding regarding a drug’s accepted medical use, safety for use, abuse potential, or dependence liability; all eight of these factors must be considered in determining the scheduling or rescheduling of cannabis. (21 USC 811(c)) A review of the scientific and medical record for these factors supports recognition of the accepted medical use of cannabis in the United States and requires its rescheduling under the CSA. (1) Its actual or relative potential for abuse. The scientific record indicates that cannabis does not have a high potential for abuse; a majority of
Recommended publications
  • Just a Little Bit of History Repeating: the California Model of Marijuana Legalization and How It Might Affect Racial and Ethnic Minorities
    Just a Little Bit of History Repeating: The California Model of Marijuana Legalization and How it Might Affect Racial and Ethnic Minorities ∗ Thomas J. Moran Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................................... 557 I. When Marijuana Was Marihuana, the "Killer Weed" .................. 561 II. The Whitening of Marijuana ........................................................ 566 III. The Present Day Costs of Marijuana Prohibition ......................... 570 A. Generally, Marijuana Prohibition Has Not Worked .............. 570 B. The Cost of Prohibition on Minorities .................................. 573 IV. Is Legislation such as California’s Marijuana Control Act the Answer for Minority Communities? ...................................... 576 A. Productivity Concerns ........................................................... 578 B. What About Potency Regulation? ......................................... 579 C. The Money Drain from Minority Communities .................... 581 D. Federal Collateral Sanctions Would Still Exist with State Legalization .......................................................... 583 E. Will Legalization Predispose Minority Youth for Future Use? ........................................................................... 586 V. Conclusion ..................................................................................... 589 Introduction In January 2010, a California Assembly Committee passed Assembly Bill 390, entitled the Marijuana Control,
    [Show full text]
  • Legalizing Marijuana: California's Pot of Gold?
    University of the Pacific Scholarly Commons McGeorge School of Law Scholarly Articles McGeorge School of Law Faculty Scholarship 2009 Legalizing Marijuana: California’s Pot of Gold? Michael Vitiello Pacific cGeM orge School of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/facultyarticles Part of the Criminal Law Commons Recommended Citation Michael Vitiello, Legalizing Marijuana: California’s Pot of Gold?, 2009 Wis. L. Rev. 1349. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the McGeorge School of Law Faculty Scholarship at Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in McGeorge School of Law Scholarly Articles by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ESSAY LEGALIZING MARUUANA: CALIFORNIA'S POT OF GOLD? MICHAEL VITIELLO* In early 2009, a member of the California Assembly introduced a bill that would have legalized marijuana in an effort to raise tax revenue and reduce prison costs. While the bill's proponent withdrew the bill, he vowed to renew his efforts in the next term. Other prominent California officials, including Governor Schwarzenegger, have indicated their willingness to study legalization in light of California's budget shortfall. For the first time in over thirty years, politicians are giving serious consideration to a proposal to legalize marijuana. But already, the public debate has degenerated into traditional passionate advocacy, with ardent prohibitionists raising the specter of doom, and marijuana advocates promising billions of dollars in tax revenues and reduced prison costs. Rather than rehashing the old debate about legalizing marijuana, this Essay offers a balanced view of the proposal to legalize marijuana, specifically as a measure to raise revenue and to reduce prison costs.
    [Show full text]
  • Why Medical Cannabis Is Still out of Patients' Reach—An Essay by David
    BMJ 2019;365:l1903 doi: 10.1136/bmj.l1903 (Published 1 May 2019) Page 1 of 3 Feature FEATURE BMJ: first published as 10.1136/bmj.l1903 on 1 May 2019. Downloaded from ESSAY Why medical cannabis is still out of patients’ reach—an essay by David Nutt Cannabis has been used as a medicine for millennia, writes David Nutt, who charts its relatively recent prohibition, the effect on patients such as Billy Caldwell, and the failure of legal reform to make much difference David Nutt Edmond J Safra professor of neuropsychopharmacology Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK Cannabis is arguably the world’s oldest medicine, with evidence This report was relied on to control cannabis under the 1961 of such use from 3000 year old tombs in Egypt and Siberia. It United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and had a place in Indian and Chinese medical writing from nearly amazingly persisted as the international medical guidance on as long ago. It didn’t enter the UK until the late 1600s, but by cannabis until 2018, being used as the justification by the World the 1800s it was widely used, sold over the counter as an Health Organization for keeping cannabis a schedule 1 http://www.bmj.com/ alcoholic tincture for problems such as tetanus and seizures. Its controlled drug till then. Even more absurdly, the 1934 report efficacy more broadly became apparent, and the definitive has been lost, so we can’t explore its evidential base or overview was published in the Lancet in 1890 by John Russell reasoning.3 1 Reynolds.
    [Show full text]
  • Up in Smoke: Removing Marijuana from Schedule I
    UP IN SMOKE (DO NOT DELETE) 4/9/2018 12:38 PM UP IN SMOKE: REMOVING MARIJUANA FROM SCHEDULE I DAVID R. KATNER* I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 167 II. DESCRIPTION OF MARIJUANA AND PUBLIC OPINION .......................... 170 III. HISTORY OF MARIJUANA USES AND LAWS IN THE U.S. AND ABROAD ......................................................................................... 174 IV. CREATION OF SCHEDULES OF DRUGS ................................................ 177 V. EVOLUTION OF MEDICINAL APPLICATIONS OF MARIJUANA ............... 178 VI. ADDICTIVE? ........................................................................................ 181 VII. DISSEMINATED PROPAGANDA ABOUT MARIJUANA, AND LEGAL ARBITRARINESS .............................................................................. 184 VIII. RESCHEDULING MARIJUANA TO SCHEDULE II ................................ 190 IX. REMOVING MARIJUANA ALTOGETHER FROM FEDERAL REGULATION .................................................................................. 195 X. CONCLUSION........................................................................................ 202 I. INTRODUCTION Billions of dollars are spent each year arresting, prosecuting, and incarcerating Americans convicted of possession of cannabis or marijuana.1 During the 1970’s, annual marijuana arrests ranged between 420,000 and 500,000 people each year.2 By 1995, there were roughly 600,000 marijuana arrests nationwide, with more Americans being imprisoned
    [Show full text]
  • Legalization of Marijuana and the Conflict with International Drug Control Treaties
    Legalization of Marijuana and the Conflict with International Drug Control Treaties Biju Panicker* Independent Study Spring 2015 Professor Jalila Jefferson-Bullock Abstract The present system of worldwide drug control is based upon three international conventions: the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs as amended by the 1972 Protocol, the 1971 Convention on Pyschotropic Substances, and the 1988 Convention Against Illicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. These treaties require participating nations to limit and even criminalize the possession, use, trade, and distribution of drugs outside of medical and scientific purposes, and work together to stop international drug trafficking. This paper argues that the recent move toward legalization of use, possession, and sales of marijuana in the United States (U.S.) and other foreign nations is in conflict with international treaty obligations. While each state in the U.S. has its own drug laws and controlled substances acts, the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution places international treaties on the same legal footing as federal law. Under this argument, Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Washington D.C., as well as Uruguay and The Netherlands’ legalization of marijuana for recreational use, allowance of possession and sales, is in contravention of U.S. federal law and international treaties. Finally, this paper will also look at Portugal’s 2001 decision to decriminalize all drug use to answer the question as to whether the international drug treaties place a “firm limitation” on the legal, “non-medical” sale of schedule drug or truly obligate countries to penalize drug use. Keywords: Marijuana Legalization, International Conventio * © Biju Panicker, J.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Drug Harms in the UK: a Multicriteria Decision Analysis
    Articles Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis David J Nutt, Leslie A King, Lawrence D Phillips, on behalf of the Independent Scientifi c Committee on Drugs Summary Background Proper assessment of the harms caused by the misuse of drugs can inform policy makers in health, Published Online policing, and social care. We aimed to apply multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) modelling to a range of drug November 1, 2010 DOI:10.1016/S0140- harms in the UK. 6736(10)61462-6 See Online/Comment Method Members of the Independent Scientifi c Committee on Drugs, including two invited specialists, met in a DOI:10.1016/S0140- 1-day interactive workshop to score 20 drugs on 16 criteria: nine related to the harms that a drug produces in the 6736(10)62000-4 individual and seven to the harms to others. Drugs were scored out of 100 points, and the criteria were weighted to Neuropsychopharmacology indicate their relative importance. Unit, Imperial College, London, UK (Prof D J Nutt FMedSci); UK Expert Adviser to the European Findings MCDA modelling showed that heroin, crack cocaine, and metamfetamine were the most harmful drugs to Monitoring Centre for Drugs individuals (part scores 34, 37, and 32, respectively), whereas alcohol, heroin, and crack cocaine were the most harmful and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), to others (46, 21, and 17, respectively). Overall, alcohol was the most harmful drug (overall harm score 72), with Lisbon, Portugal (L A King PhD); heroin (55) and crack cocaine (54) in second and third places. and Department of Management, London School of Economics and Political Interpretation These fi ndings lend support to previous work assessing drug harms, and show how the improved scoring Science, London, UK and weighting approach of MCDA increases the diff erentiation between the most and least harmful drugs.
    [Show full text]
  • Mind Medicine Australia’S Submission to the Royal Commission Into Victoria’S Mental Health System
    SUB.0002.0029.0347 Mind Medicine Australia’s Submission to The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System 5th July 2019 “...My hope is that we will engage in mature, evidence-based discussions about how best to fund and deploy psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies to augment existing approaches to the treatment of mental illness. I hope that governments will have the courage to put the welfare of their citizens ahead of their fear of controversy ‒ and that our politicians will deploy their considerable skills and positions of influence to nurture a balanced and objective understanding amongst the public.” ‒ Dr Simon Longstaff AO, Leading Australian Ethicist and Executive Director of The Ethics Centre Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System | Mind Medicine Australia SUB.0002.0029.0347_0002 Level 1, 10 Dorcas St Southbank, VIC 3006 Australia 5th July 2019 The Commissioners The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System Dear Commissioners We live in one of the wealthiest countries and we have one of the best medical systems in the world. Yet despite the high calibre of our medical practitioners and institutions, and the enormous associated system costs, we also have one of the highest rates of mental illness in the world, and the situation appears to be getting worse. Simply doing more of the same, or making only incremental changes to the current system, is not going to solve this problem and relieve the suffering of so many Victorians. To create positive change, we have to broaden the tools available to our medical practitioners and qualified therapists in this area.
    [Show full text]
  • The Rise and Decline of Cannabis Prohibition the History of Cannabis in the UN Drug Control System and Options for Reform
    TRANSNATIONAL I N S T I T U T E THE RISE AND DECLINE OF CANNABIS PROHIBITION THE HISTORY OF CANNABIS IN THE UN DruG CONTROL SYSTEM AND OPTIONS FOR REFORM 3 The Rise and Decline of Cannabis Prohibition Authors Dave Bewley-Taylor Tom Blickman Martin Jelsma Copy editor David Aronson Design Guido Jelsma www.guidojelsma.nl Photo credits Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum, Amsterdam/ Barcelona Floris Leeuwenberg Pien Metaal UNOG Library/League of Nations Archives UN Photo Printing Jubels, Amsterdam Contact Transnational Institute (TNI) De Wittenstraat 25 1052 AK Amsterdam Netherlands Tel: +31-(0)20-6626608 Fax: +31-(0)20-6757176 [email protected] www.tni.org/drugs www.undrugcontrol.info www.druglawreform.info Global Drug Policy Observatory (GDPO) Research Institute for Arts and Humanities Rooms 201-202 James Callaghan Building Swansea University Financial contributions Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP Tel: +44-(0)1792-604293 This report has been produced with the financial www.swansea.ac.uk/gdpo assistance of the Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum, twitter: @gdpo_swan Amsterdam/Barcelona, the Open Society Foundations and the Drug Prevention and Information Programme This is an Open Access publication distributed under (DPIP) of the European Union. the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which of TNI and GDPO and can under no circumstances be permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction regarded as reflecting the position of the donors. in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. TNI would appreciate receiving a copy of the text in which this document is used or cited.
    [Show full text]
  • Lost Taxes and Other Costs of Marijuana Laws
    Lost Taxes and Other Costs of Marijuana Laws by Jon Gettman, Ph.D. The Bulletin of Cannabis Reform www.drugscience.org September 5, 2007 Lost Taxes and Other Costs of Marijuana Laws Executive Summary Government reports indicate that the nation's marijuana laws cost taxpayers $41.8 billion annually. This calculation is based on (a) a reconciliation of estimates of the annual supply of marijuana in the United States and estimates of its overall value and (b) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) data on the share of the Gross Domestic Product diverted by regulatory taxes to US Government budgets. Government reports from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Library of Congress, and other sources indicate that the supply of marijuana in the United States is 14,349 metric tons, or 31.1 million pounds. Various price indexes from public and private sources produce a retail price of $7.87/gr or $3,570/lb, setting the overall retail value of the illicit marijuana market at $113 billion. The Office of Management and Budget reports that local, state, and the federal government receipts represent 28.7% of the gross domestic product as tax revenue. The diversion of $113 billion from the taxable economy into the illicit economy deprives taxpayers of $31.1 billion annually. According to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, marijuana arrests consist of 5.54% of all arrests. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that total criminal justice expenditures in the United States in 2004, for example, were $193 billion.
    [Show full text]
  • An Economic Analysis of Marijuana Policy Note
    University of Connecticut OpenCommons@UConn Connecticut Law Review School of Law 2009 The Need for Change: An Economic Analysis of Marijuana Policy Note Cynthia S. Duncan Follow this and additional works at: https://opencommons.uconn.edu/law_review Recommended Citation Duncan, Cynthia S., "The Need for Change: An Economic Analysis of Marijuana Policy Note" (2009). Connecticut Law Review. 39. https://opencommons.uconn.edu/law_review/39 CONNECTICUT LAW REVIEW VOLUME 41 JULY 2009 NUMBER 5 Note THE NEED FOR CHANGE: AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF MARIJUANA POLICY CYNTHIA S. DUNCAN The Controlled Substances Act was enacted in 1970. Since that time, billions of dollars have been spent enforcing marijuana prohibition and millions of individuals have been arrested. Despite these efforts, there has been little to no success in controlling the availability of marijuana. Federal and state efforts to reduce marijuana production and use through prohibition have been ineffective, and those efforts have been far less than equitably applied across economic and racial divisions. Given the costs associated with prohibition and the meager results obtained thus far, it is time to rethink the national policy of prohibition and consider abandoning the nearly forty-year-old model. Thirteen states have decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use, and many more states have greatly reduced the penalties for possession. Decriminalization carries with it many of the same societal costs associated with total prohibition and does nothing to dismantle illegal trafficking operations. Legalization, on the other hand, would eliminate the criminal supply network and would also remove the direct and collateral sanctions that currently fall so harshly upon minority and low-income marijuana users.
    [Show full text]
  • Using Multi Criteria Decision Analysis to Estimate Relative Drug Risks and Harms
    Using multi criteria decision analysis to estimate relative drug risks and harms Prof. David Nutt FMedSci Edmond J Safra Prof of Neuropsychopharmacology Imperial College London Chair ISCD drugscience.org.uk [email protected] Drugs are controlled because … They are harmful They might be harmful The media wants it? … as do the majority of politicians … and some of the public So getting the best estimate of harms is vital But difficult • Poor data on existing controlled drugs because illegality covert use • And less for new entrants to the field, “legal highs” 4 key issues 1. Relative harms of drugs - and comparisons with alcohol and tobacco 2. Comparative harms –v- other risky activities 1. Proportionality of penalties cf health harms 2. Benefit-harm equation of the law? 5 A short history of what we have done First - the 9 point scale 2000 Runciman report: develop the 9 point harm assessment scale Drugs and the Law: Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Members of Inquiry: Viscountess Runciman (Chairman), A Chesney, R Fortson, J Hamilton PQPM, S Jenkins, A Maynard, L G Murray, DJ Nutt, D O’Connor QPM, G Pearson, I Wardle, B Williams, A Zera. Report published in 2000. 2001-2006 – Home Office ACMD group systematically reviews a range of drugs using this scale Nutt, DJ; King, LA; Saulsbury, W; Blakemore, C [2007] Developing a rational scale for assessing the risks of drugs of potential misuse Lancet 369:1047-1053 PMID: 17382831 The nine point scale Drug harm ranking Nutt et al 2007 Lancet 8 A short history of what we have done First - the 9 point scale Two2000 Runciman problems: report: develop- the 9 point harm assessment scale Drugs and the Law: Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
    [Show full text]
  • Drug Policies and the Politics of Drugs in the Americas This Is a FM Blank Page Beatriz Caiuby Labate • Clancy Cavnar • Thiago Rodrigues Editors
    Drug Policies and the Politics of Drugs in the Americas ThiS is a FM Blank Page Beatriz Caiuby Labate • Clancy Cavnar • Thiago Rodrigues Editors Drug Policies and the Politics of Drugs in the Americas Editors Beatriz Caiuby Labate Clancy Cavnar CIDE Center for Economic Research San Francisco, California and Education USA Aguascalientes Mexico Thiago Rodrigues Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ISBN 978-3-319-29080-5 ISBN 978-3-319-29082-9 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-29082-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016948206 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made.
    [Show full text]