The FDA is considering rescheduling cannabis to Schedule III. Prepcann president, Dr. Kane, submitted a comment for FDA consideration. Read below and let us know if you agree that Cannabis Is Medicine!
Thank you for your willingness to learn more about Cannabis as a medicine. Cannabis has been used as a medicine for thousands of years. It was only in the 1920’s that Americans learned you can smoke cannabis – which they referred to as marijuana. As the Executive Director of the American Society of Cannabis Pharmacists (ASCPh), we recognize the importance of healthcare professional education in understanding that Cannabis is a QUALITY OF LIFE SAVING alternative. As a Cannabis Pharmacist in Minnesota, I am lucky and grateful to legally provide cannabis to my patients. The state of Minnesota provides an excellent controlled environment to test Cannabis as a medicine under the therapeutic recommendations of Pharmacists. We recommend Cannabis for symptoms – exactly what pharmacists do in their pharmacies every day when recommending OTC or BTC therapies. Cannabis does not treat conditions like MS or cancer – but it can be effectively used to ameliorate symptoms include pain, nausea, anxiety, and insomnia. These symptoms plague millions of Americans with chronic diseases – even with standards of care using pharmacological remedies. Any healthcare professional who wants to incorporate Cannabis in their practice should have the freedom to do so. As a schedule I, healthcare professionals and patients are scared to learn more. Using my knowledge and experience as a pharmacist – I can safely say Cannabis is the safest chemical on the market. Safer than alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opiates, yet these chemicals are used liberally without fear or persecution or retaliation. It is time the federal government catches up with scientific evidence and research. There is no physiologically obtainable lethal dose of Cannabis in humans. We recognize that Cannabis will have different results in different people and that is why healthcare professionals should be equipped to answer clinical questions and provide evidence-based recommendations. While re-scheduling to schedule III is a step in the right direction, I would highly suggest the committee considers re-scheduling to schedule V, similar to pseudoephedrine. This would effectively allow whole-plant Cannabis containing products to be sold in pharmacies and offer the possibility of behind-the-counter counseling recommendations without an official prescription order from the doctor.