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The DEA currently classifies marijuana as a "Schedule I" substance having no medical benefit and a high potential for abuse, the same category as heroin, LSD and ecstasy. Proponents of reclassifying marijuana to a Schedule II drug (same category as cocaine, as well as tightly controlled prescribed drugs such as Demerol, Vicodin, Ritalin and OxyContin) say it has medical benefits that include relieving pain and reducing the debilitating effects of cancer treatments.

At the same time as the Obama administration's DEA rejected reclassifying marijuana to a Schedule II substance, the Obama administration's Justice Dept. continues to maintain a policy of not enforcing some federal laws on marijuana as long as they're consistent wiht state medical marijuana provisions and meet other DOJ requirements.

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Congress could reclassify marijuana legislatively...and the Long Beach City Council voted years ago to add a section to the City's federal legislative agenda [policies the City is supposed to be supporting/advocating] -- which remains official Long Beach City Hall declared policy -- to "support legislation to classify medical marijuana as a recognized pharmaceutical medication dispensed through pharmacies." However it's unclear to what extent (if at all) LB politicians (Mayor/Councilmembers) have actually advocated this during their travels to DC or whether the city's taxpayer-paid DC lobbying firm has done so.

The "Marijuana Policy Project" ("We Change Laws," lists its policies here) lists the positions of the Presidential candidates here.

Dem Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has said she supports reclassifying marijuana ti Schedule II and removing barriers to researching its medical benefits. [Former Dem candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (D, VT) introduced a bill to remove it from the schedules altogether.] Repub candidate Donald Trump supports legal access to medical marijuana, and would supports letting states set their own marijuana policies with regard to adult use. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson supports legalizing and regulating marijuana for medical and adult use and has suypported legalizing marijuana at the federal level, removing it from federal drug schedules, and letting states legalize and regulate it for medical and adult use. Green candidate Jill Stein, a physician, supports legalizing and regulating marijuana for medical and adult use nationwide.

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In its action today, the DEA denied two petitions to rescheduled marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), after [release text] "scientific and medical evaluation and scheduling recommendation from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which was conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in consultation with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Based on the legal standards in the CSA, marijuana remains a schedule I controlled substance because it does not meet the criteria for currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, there is a lack of accepted safety for its use under medical supervision, and it has a high potential for abuse."

"The DEA and the FDA continue to believe that scientifically valid and well-controlled clinical trials conducted under investigational new drug (IND) applications are the most appropriate way to conduct research on the medicinal uses of marijuana. Furthermore, DEA and FDA believe that the drug approval process is the most appropriate way to assess whether a product derived from marijuana or its constituents is safe and effective and has an accepted medical use. This pathway allows the FDA the important ability to determine whether a product meets the FDA criteria for safety and effectiveness for approval," DEA's release states.

To view the agency's letter to the petitioners -- who include the Governors of Rhode Island and Washington -- click here. . The agency's full response to the petitions is in the Federal Register at this link.

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