With 420 not too far behind us, some good news has just emerged for those that like to blaze it up. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has actually approved a way to legally smoke marijuana.
The DEA has officially green-lit (see what I did there) a clinical trial to be conducted by The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) that will look at using the drug for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in U.S. militry veterans. The research is being funded by a $2.2 million grant from Colorado’s state government, a government which has obviously been open to marijuana use recently.
This marks the first time the DEA has ever approved smoking marijuana as legitimate medical research. It wasn’t an easy fight either. MAPS has been fighting for approval of this trial since 2011. It needed approval from three different agencies before they could proceed. The DEA was the last on the list.
While you shouldn’t blaze up to celebrate just yet, this decision does have a significant impact. It means that the DEA is open to seeing marijuana as a legitimate option for those with certain disorders. While nothing is certain yet, it’s an important step for those fighting for medical and/or recreational use legalization throughout the country.
It’s especially significant when you consider that just last November, DEA head Chuck Rosenberg had this to say, from CBS News:
“What really bothers me is the notion that marijuana is also medicinal—because it’s not. If you talk about smoking the leaf of marijuana—which is what people are talking about when they talk about medicinal marijuana—it has never been shown to be safe or effective as a medicine.”
We’re unsure exactly what caused the change of heart. Maybe he had a smoke and chilled out a little (probably not), but it is true that the DEA has softened on medical marijuana studies. It’s a significant step forward and puts us further down the path to legalization.
Featured image is by Katheirne Hitt via Flickr, available under a Creative Commons 2.0 license.
