The US government said earlier this year that they wanted to grow more grass for the purpose of expanding research into the plant. Yahoo Finance reports that the government appears to have gone back on its word to expand cannabis research.
Earlier this year, we found out that the cannabis that the government grows for research purposes is of the lowest possible quality cannabis. Looking at a picture of it, you can barely tell that it even is cannabis, and not just grass clippings. The issue with this is not simply aesthetic; conducting research with such low quality cannabis is sure to yield inaccurate results as far as cannabis’ ability to treat certain diseases. Another possible side effect is the possibility that this low quality cannabis will show more negative effects than the higher quality cannabis that is consumed by the general public.
One of the reasons the government gives for cannabis prohibition is that there is not enough research to show that it's safe. It’s incredibly difficult to research cannabis because it's a Schedule I drug, with no accepted medical value. If this seems incredibly contradictory, you would be correct. It’s designed this way to keep cannabis on Schedule I.
Last year, the Obama administration promised to undo some of the restrictions, thus making it possible to expand cannabis research. Surprise, surprise, Jeff Sessions’ Justice Department seems intent to undo this. The DEA only requested to grow 978 pounds, or 384,460 grams, next year. This is actually less than they requested for this year, which was 472,000 grams, according to Forbes.
This doesn’t bode well for legalization. By refusing to expand cannabis research, the US government can continue to claim that there is not enough research to show that cannabis is safe and effective. With medical cannabis protections set to expire next week, this is making people very nervous indeed.
Source: Yahoo Finance
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