Researchers involved in a federally funded clinical trial around marijuana write in a new article in the American Journal of Medicine that further study into the substance is of "critical importance" given the millions of patients and consumers in legal states, but they warn that government restrictions "stifle scientific exploration of its potential and risks."
Classifying cannabis as a Schedule I substance, write authors from the University of Maryland (UMD) schools of medicine and nursing, "traps researchers in a paradox: proving medical value requires studies, yet studies are heavily restricted."
"As legalization outpaces science," the paper says, "reform is imperative to close the evidence gap and meet society's demands."
To expedite studies into marijuana's potential and avoid reliance on untested claims, the researchers say moving the substance to Schedule III would ease restrictive oversight by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). More National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding—along with easier access to government-approved supplies of cannabis—could also accelerate trials, they say.
Read more at Marijuana Moment