In a lawsuit filed on July 24, 2017, a group of medical cannabis patients, including a former NFL player, seek to have the Controlled Substances Act, which categorizes cannabis a Schedule 1 substance, declared unconstitutional. Schedule 1 status essentially means that the federal government’s position on cannabis is that there is high potential for abuse, absolutely no medical benefit and cannot be safely used or tested even with strict medical supervision. Notwithstanding cannabis being legalized to some degree–medicinal to recreational–in 30 states, the complaint alleges that the federal government’s own conduct vis-a-vis cannabis belies any contention that cannabis should be categorized as a Schedule 1. Particularly, the complaint highlights that the federal government itself secured a medical cannabis patent and entered into licensing agreements with medical licensees.
For a link to the entire complaint, which provides an excellent synopsis of the legal history of cannabis in the US: http://www.thecannabist.co/2017/07/25/marijuana-schedule-i-lawsuit-unconstitutional/84473/.
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