Currently, there are over 3 million medical cannabis patients across the country; ninety-one percent of Americans now live in states with some form of access to medical cannabis, while sixty-six percent of American adults are in favor of full legalization. Despite this, cannabis retains its Schedule I status under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning the federal government considers it to be a dangerous, highly addictive substance with no medical value. This continues to cause numerous conflicts between the federal government and the states that have rolled programs for their citizens. The only protection for these programs in federal law is the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment found in the Commerce Justice Science and Related Agencies appropriations bill which, as a budget bill, is subject to change each year. Plans for legalization at the federal level by different means have been introduced for years with little impact. It is time for a new approach to end the federal conflict on cannabis policy.
To help end the conflict between states and the federal government on cannabis policy, Americans for Safe Access has created draft legislation which creates an Office of Medical Cannabis Control (OMCC). This draft legislation is explained in ASA’s Ending the Federal Conflict: Changing the Paradigm on Medical Cannabis report. This legislative language takes an entirely new approach to ending the conflict between the majority of states and the federal government on cannabis policy. The report calls for the descheduling of cannabis (or, failing that, the rescheduling of cannabis to a new Schedule V(A) that would allow for cannabis to be used as a frontline medication) and for the creation of a federal oversight agency with centralized regulatory authority over medical cannabis research, production, and distribution.
As patients, industry professionals, and concerned citizens, we join ASA in supporting this important legislation which could help millions of patients all over the country. Together we can help to bring an end to the War on Drugs, and provide a federal regulatory framework to ensure that medical patients everywhere get clean, safe, and affordable medicine.
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