By Alicia Gallegos, amednews staff
A handful of governors have launched a new push for marijuana to be reclassified so that the drug is more widely accepted for medical treatment.
By mid-December 2011, three governors had signed a petition asking the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to conduct a new scientific review of cannabis research. Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin was the latest to add his signature to a petition started Nov. 30, 2011, by Washington state Gov. Chris Gregoire and Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s administration made a similar request to the DEA on Dec. 22, 2011, according to the governor’s spokesman.
Public attitudes toward medical marijuana are changing, and medical organizations across the country have recognized the drug’s potential benefits for medical use, Gregoire’s petition says. The DEA classifies marijuana as a schedule I drug, meaning it’s not approved for any medical use. A schedule II classification would allow the drug to be used for medical purposes but still would be tightly restricted.
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