Scheduling
1988
Carl Olsen was a petitioner in the 1972 Marijuana Rescheduling Petition which was decided by an administrative law judge in 1988. See, DEA Docket No. 86-22, Sept. 6, 1988; and see, Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics v. DEA, 930 F.2d 936 (D.C. Cir. 1991); and see, Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics v. DEA, 15 F.3d 1131 (D.C. Cir. 1994).
Olsen was also a petitioner in the 2002 Marijuana Rescheduling Petition, DEA Docket No. DEA-352N, June 21, 2011. 76 Fed. Reg. 40,552 (July 8, 2011) Olsen v. DEA, No. 13-848 (U.S. Supreme Court, Certiorari Denied November 18, 2013); Americans for Safe Access v. DEA, 706 F.3d 438 (D.C. Cir. 2013).
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has often cited lack of accepted medical use as the main reason for keeping cannabis in Schedule I, but critics often reply that Schedule I makes it difficult to do research. In fact, the head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) acknowledges this.
Top Federal Drug Policy Expert Says Marijuana’s Schedule I Status Inhibits Research
Marijuana Moment, April 2, 2019
On December 27, 2018, the Medical Cannabidiol Advisory Board filed its annual recommendations with the Iowa Legislature.
On Page 8, the Medical Cannabidiol Advisory Board said:
The Board recommends removing statutory obstacles to clinical medical cannabidiol research.
The board’s recommendation is similar to the recommendation made by the National Academies of Science in 2017.
On Page 6, the National Academies of Science said:
There are specific regulatory barriers, including the classification of cannabis as a Schedule I substance, that impede the advancement of cannabis and cannabinoid research.
The board’s recommendation is similar to the recommendation made by the American Academy of Neurology in 2014.
On Page 1, the American Academy of Neurology said:
The AAN supports all efforts to allow for rigorous research to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of medical marijuana and compounds derived from the plant. This includes proposals that increase access for the study of medical marijuana under IRB-approved research protocols and the reclassification of medical marijuana from its current Schedule I status to Schedule II to allow for medical research.
The board’s recommendation is similar to the recommendation made by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2015.
On Page 3, the American Academy of Pediatrics said:
The AAP recommends changing marijuana from a Drug Enforcement Administration schedule I to a schedule II drug to facilitate this research.
The board’s recommendation is similar to the recommendation made by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy in 2010.
On Page 1, the Iowa Department of Public Health said:
The Iowa Board of Pharmacy today issued a recommendation that the Iowa Legislature reclassify marijuana from Schedule I of the Iowa Controlled Substances Act into Schedule II of the Act.