The Controlled Substances Act is not outdated. It is a law structured in a way meant to protect science, medicine, patients and the public. It is not absolutist. It has an administrative structure built into it to control for mistakes, new scientific discoveries and even evolving public or medical understanding. Today's federal drug laws appear to have done a disservice to marijuana, locking it into an inappropriate schedule where it is banned outright. But in reality, negative drug policy around marijuana is not the fault of the CSA. Instead, a variety of other factors -- mainly attributed to biased lawmakers -- have hindered the law from working properly when it comes to the drug. [continues 662 words]
Calling for Legalization Now Will Slow Reform Progress For marijuana reform advocates, 2014 and 2015 have been remarkable years. Two more states and the District of Columbia joined Colorado and Washington in legalizing recreational ("adult-use") marijuana. Congress passed legislation dealing with issues like Drug Enforcement Administration policies and veterans' access to state legal marijuana, among others. And candidates (from both parties) running for high-profile offices - governor, U.S. House, U.S. Senate, even president - are talking about marijuana policy, and not with War on Drugs rhetoric. [continues 732 words]
