Effects of Schedule I drug laws on neuroscience research and treatment innovation
David J. Nutt, Leslie A. King and David E. Nichols
NATURE REVIEWS NEUROSCIENCE, AUGUST 2013, VOLUME 14: 577-585
http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v14/n8/full/nrn3530.html
draconian penalty
cannabis (marijuana)
lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD; also known as lysergide)
3,4-methyl- enedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA; also known as ecstasy)
psilocybin: a hallucinogenic indole C12H17N2O4P obtained from a fungus (as Psilocybe mexicana or P. cubensis syn. Stropharia cubensis)
LSD has been used successfully to treat other addictions
there is no evidence that psychedelics have addictive properties
MDMA similarly has low dependence potential, although some chronic cannabis users can develop dependence
circular argument
in the United States, medical use of marijuana is legal in 18 states and in the District of Columbia.
cannabis was a prescription medication in the United Kingdom until the middle of the twentieth century
In practice, research with Schedule I drugs has almost completely ceased, with research into psychedelic drugs being particularly affected.
Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient of cannabis that makes users ‘stoned’.
Overall, cannabis is less harmful than other popular drugs, such as alcohol.
related news release:
http://www.maps.org/media/David_Nutt_NRN_Press_release_June2013.pdf
related:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/08/12/339822911/colorado-case-puts-workplace-drug-policies-to-the-test