How the US removes administrative barriers that impede the study of the therapeutic properties of cannabis

A new bill has already been submitted to the U.S. Congress to exclude cannabis from federal controlled substances law. If passed, it will open the last doors for U.S. citizens as well as entrepreneurs to the possibility of using the therapeutic properties of cannabis for medical purposes.

In the pages of the specialized electronic edition of Ukrainian hemp growers it has already been described how In the United States, obstacles to scientific research on the pharmacological properties of cannabis are removed when The use of cannabis for scientific purposes has been authorized at the national level in the United States of AmericaThe impact of the legalization of cannabis use in Canada has had an impact on the study of the plant and its properties».

After the removal of any restrictions on industrial cultivation of technical cannabis in the U.S., government and non-government organizations, private companies and activists of various social movements have significantly increased their efforts to demonstrate the benefits of using cannabis in various sectors of the economy. Changes in the current regulatory framework not only allow for the unimpeded cultivation of low-drug hemp at the federal level, but also provide an opportunity for patients in need to use the plant. The adopted law allows scientists in administrative-territorial units, where the use of cannabis is legal, to carry out important and very necessary studies of the medical properties of the plant.

There is a wealth of disparate information or non-systemic research that demonstrates that cannabis helps people with epilepsy and post-traumatic stress disorder, and reduces negative side effects (nausea and lack of appetite) in the treatment of cancer. However, this kind of knowledge is highly fragmented and unsystematic. The main problem is that research at the federal level cannot be conducted in its entirety, as cannabis continues to be a Schedule 1 drug equivalent to heroin or methamphetamine. It is this situation that makes it impossible for public funding, which is at the heart of most scientific research in the United States.

Today the best research in the field of modern hemp production was presented by the National Academy, which in 2017 conducted a thorough study of both therapeutic properties and risks that may arise from the use of cannabis. The committee has considered more than 10,000 scientific papers specifically for this purpose in order to clearly articulate the position of the U.S. scientific community on the potential benefits and harms to the human body of the use of hemp-based ingredients and products. 

The conclusion of this paper states that cannabis is useful for humans. Previous studies have shown that the plant and its individual components (terpenes, cannabinoids, etc.) can alleviate pain and are particularly useful for alleviating symptoms in patients with muscle spasm associated with various neurodegenerative diseases, primarily multiple sclerosis. It has been found that some products made from hemp that are consumed orally significantly reduce nausea and vomiting resulting from the use of chemotherapy in the treatment of oncological diseases.

The report focuses on the fact that regular use of cannabis does not carry any risks such as those arising from tobacco or alcohol use. There is no evidence that the use of cannabis for medical or recreational purposes by the child's father and mother during pregnancy is in any way threatening the fetus.

In spite of the foregoing, it is recognized that the therapeutic properties of cannabis are not yet fully understood, and the lack of scientific knowledge on the subject gives rise to rumours and speculation without any basis. For this reason, the experts stated the need for, and importance of, serious scientific research to finalize the medical usefulness of therapeutic use of cannabis. It was recommended that research on the exclusive properties of cannabis should be expanded, and that the collection of information should be improved and systematized in order to obtain comprehensive information and to remove the latest obstacles to the development of the therapeutic use of the industry. At a minimum, the statistics show that alcohol kills approximately 88,000 U.S. citizens every year and another 77,000 die of opioid overdose. No cases of cannabis overdose have yet been reported in human history.

A new bill has already been submitted to the U.S. Congress to exclude cannabis from federal controlled substances law. If passed, it will open the last doors to American citizens and entrepreneurs, preventing them from using the therapeutic properties of cannabis for medical purposes. The bill of this kind has been prepared, among other things, because the legislation of neighboring Canada allows for the most efficient use of the plant, which gives the cannabis industry of the northern neighbor of the United States a clear competitive advantage in the international hemp market.