Federal Government Denied Marijuana Rescheduling for the Third Time

Drug Enforcement Administration denies the long standing petition to reschedule marijuana. DEA, Department of Justice based the decision on the scientific and medical evaluation as well as scheduling recommendation from the Department of Health and Human Services. According to DHHS, marijuana has high potential for abuse, has no accepted medical use in the United States, and lacks an acceptable level of safety for use even under medical supervision. This puts back cannabis to schedule 1 drug, the most restricted category of drug under the Controlled Substances Act in 1970, lining it up with heroin. Read complete decision here.

“The known risks of marijuana use have not been shown to be outweighed by specific benefits in well-controlled clinical trials that scientifically evaluate safety and efficacy," wrote DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. Significantly, even in states wherein medical marijuana has been legalized, hospitals like the Montana State Hospital does not allow possession of marijuana in their facility. Professionals in medical scrubs take them into lock box, even if a card holder is in possession of it.

It came to be 9 years when the petition for rescheduling cannabis was filed. During that period, marijuana has been approved in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, DC, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. The question of whether state laws would still protect medical marijuana users after federal declaration concerns many. Marijuana dispensaries and scientific researches are feared to also take the brunt of the decision.

However, not everyone sees an all cloudy future for medical marijuana. “The government was employing a "strategy of delay" these past nine years, and, now that it has come out on one side, advocates can finally appeal, enabling them to "go head-to-head on the merits," stated chief counsel Elford. Whether or not the court would side with the advocates is unclear, given the fact that in both 1972 and 1995 appeals, marijuana reclassification petition both failed.

Amphetamine Users Tread Way to Parkinson’s Disease

The common drugs used to treat narcolepsy, battle drowsiness, and help with weight loss may up risk of Parkinson’s disease, a recent observational study found. According to Steven Van Den Eeden, PHd., research scientist at Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, California, men and women who are taking Benzedrine (amphetamine sulfate) or Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine sulfate) have 56% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease later in life compared to those who don’t.

Observing individuals who were members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California after 1995 and once participants of 1964 to 1973 Multiphasic Health Checkup Cohort exam, including 66,348 with no Parkinson’s disease at baseline, Dr. Van Den Eeden and colleagues found participants reported taking weight-loss medication at baseline did not have an elevated risk for Parkinson's disease through follow-up (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.21). However, those who reported often using Benzedrine or Dexedrine did, and got significantly greater risk.

Of these participants, 1,154 were diagnosed of Parkinson’s disease on mean follow-up of 38.8 years. 36 was the mean age at baseline, whereas 70 was the mean age at diagnosis.

On a comment, Anna Hohler, MD, assistant professor of neurology at Boston University, said it's possible that personality characteristic may explain the relationship associating Parkinson's disease with amphetamine use, but may just be indirect rather than a direct association.

It’s odd that amphetamine was then a drug recommended by doctors in white scrubs to treat Parkinson’s, but the study actually suggests it does otherwise, supporting the findings of two other recent studies. On the other hand, the study does not prove any direct link of amphetamine to Parkinson’s disease, calling for further studies to support or refute this. If this proves causation, many individuals who’s professions push them to take amphetamines are at high risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, including those in nursing uniforms.

The study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology on April, and is not yet supported by peer reviews.