US Supreme Court Rejects Marijuana Reclassification Appeal

[Tenchi]

The US Supreme Court Monday declined to hear an appeal from medical marijuana advocacy groups who had challenged the DEA's decision to maintain marijuana's status as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, the category reserved for the most dangerous substances.

The court denied in summary order a petition for a writ of certiorari from the groups, led by Americans for Safe Access, which had sought Supreme Court review of a DC Circuit Court of Appeals decision upholding the DEA's ruling that a change in marijuana's classification required the Food and Drug Administration's recognition of acceptable medical uses for the drugs.

Advocates of rescheduling marijuana have been trying to do so for more than four decades, but have been thwarted by DEA delays and intransigence. This was the third formal rescheduling effort to be blocked by DEA decision making.

Schedule I drugs are deemed to have no acceptable medical uses and a high potential for abuse. Other Schedule I drugs include LSD, MDMA, and heroin. Despite the fact that there is an ever-increasing mountain of research detailing marijuana medicinal effects and despite the fact that 20 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, the DEA continues to insist that it cannot be down-scheduled.

Joe Elford, lead attorney on the case for Americans for Safe Access, told Law360 that the Supreme Court's denial of certiorari was in line with its reluctance to overturn lower courts and administrative decisions on medical marijuana.

"It's disappointing, but not altogether surprising," he said.

A fourth effort to reclassify marijuana led by the governors of the medical marijuana states of Rhode Island and Washington was filed in 2011 and is still awaiting action.

Full story

 

[Tenchi]

Of course they're going to insist that, when one of their biggest revenue streams is at risk.

 

[23536]

I edited the OP to include the full text of the story because the Drug War Chronicle explicitly gives this permission:

Permission to Reprint: This article is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license.

 

[Tenchi]

Cool, no worries.

 

['medicine cabinet']

jeez, who didnt see this coming from a trillion dollars away.

 

[exists]

Yep, not surprising, but no less infuriating

Like so many have said, I bet they keep rejecting a change in its scheduling because cannabis can help people think outside the box... They don't want anyone going outside the nice little cubicles that have been made for them. We are not effing cattle!

I want the federal government to BURN! Go up in flames! Ashes make good fertilizer (c:<

 

[neversickanymore]

I think it great.. the more they make a stink about this the the more the world realizes that they are completely off their rockers, are functioning and behaving in a manor that is unprofessional and shows first hand how they have taken a will not back down, no matter what the hell the people and the president want. It clearly shows that they are for their own agenda and are no longer there to serve the people of the united states. Hopefully this combined with the rapidly changing views on the drug war and everyones realization that its one of the biggest flops in the history of "war" and that the laws and the DEA and the violent black market that they created need to go fly a kite on the moon. The more you confiscate, the less product their is on the streets, the less product the more valuable it is. the more valuable it is the more drug realted crime will increase from addicts trying to pay fir that Black market priced habit. The more its worth the more that will be produced. and so on and so forth.

And lets get back to states rights and size down that outdated and seemingly useless party in washington called the federal government.. really we all dont need to live the same damn way..

 

[weekend addiction]

I think it great.. the more they make a stink about this the the more the world realizes that they are completely off their rockers, are functioning and behaving in a manor that is unprofessional and shows first hand how they have taken a will not back down, no matter what the hell the people and the president want. It clearly shows that they are for their own agenda and are no longer there to serve the people of the united states. Hopefully this combined with the rapidly changing views on the drug war and everyones realization that its one of the biggest flops in the history of "war" and that the laws and the DEA and the violent black market that they created need to go fly a kite on the moon. The more you confiscate, the less product their is on the streets, the less product the more valuable it is. the more valuable it is the more drug realted crime will increase from addicts trying to pay fir that Black market priced habit. The more its worth the more that will be produced. and so on and so forth.

And lets get back to states rights and size down that outdated and seemingly useless party in washington called the federal government.. really we all dont need to live the same damn way..

My thoughts exactly. The government is making an ass of itself right now. That's how history will look on this.

 

[Flynnal]

Is this the same Supreme Court that legalized abortion based on the "right to privacy" ???

Yes?

Isn't abortion 10,000 times worse than someone using cannabis? WTF???!!!

 

[slimvictor]

jeez, who didnt see this coming from a trillion dollars away.

lol you got that right

I think it great.. the more they make a stink about this the the more the world realizes that they are completely off their rockers, are functioning and behaving in a manor that is unprofessional and shows first hand how they have taken a will not back down, no matter what the hell the people and the president want. It clearly shows that they are for their own agenda and are no longer there to serve the people of the united states.

I agree with this. Insanity cannot continue forever. The Salem Witch Hunts lasted a decade or so, right? But not forever.
And the supreme court revealing clearly that they are against the people of the country and only support the status quo as far as freedom goes is something that will go down in history as a black mark on the reputation of the United States.

 

[slimvictor]

Is this the same Supreme Court that legalized abortion based on the "right to privacy" ???

Yes?

Isn't abortion 10,000 times worse than someone using cannabis? WTF???!!!

Not the same members.
And nobody is saying abortion is "good". They are arguing that it is a necessary evil, and that people should have the freedom and responsibility to choose what to do with their own bodies.

 

[choco1ate]

Is this the same Supreme Court that legalized abortion based on the "right to privacy" ???

Yes?

Isn't abortion 10,000 times worse than someone using cannabis? WTF???!!!

no, this is the way more right wing supreme court that thinks corporations are people and racism is over and if the abortion issue is brought up again i highly doubt they'd rule the same way. and both abortion and drug use should be covered under the right to privacy, the same reasoning applies and if you support one and not the other than you're a fucking hypocrite

 

[Flynnal]

if you support one and not the other than you're a fucking hypocrite

Depends on whether you view the unborn child as a member of the human race.

If one supports abortion rights but treats drug use as criminal then, sure, they're a fucking hypocrite alright - and I'll multiply that by 10,000 just for kicks

Drug use, on the other hand, really pales into insignificance when you put them together. Drug use is almost a non-event, serious in it's own right of course, but very trifle compared to abortion which is a very serious matter.

I could say the same thing about routine infant genital mutilation (AKA circumcision) which is also a very serious matter and should be COMPLETELY outlawed except when performed for serious medical reasons.

I believe in human rights. Basic human rights. Rights that are non-violable under any context whether that be within intellectual justification or just capricious misappropriation as in many cases - eg. the war on drugs being a perfect case in point which is why I will discuss both these issues on these forums because I consider such discussion to be appropriate.

No one has any implied right to live in a 6 bedroom house with 2 sports cars, with a $250,000 annual income. But they DO have the right to be safe from inappropriate and unacceptable behaviors from other members of the human race. They have a right to live and prosper. Just NOT at the expense of others.

 

[Roger&Me]

It was a good ruling, actually. All the court did was uphold an earlier decision that said the FDA needs to recognize medical uses for cannabis before the DEA can reclassify it.

If you want someone to bitch at, bitch at the FDA for not taking the recommendation of e.g. the AMA, with respect to medical cannabis. This was a reasonable decision from a legal standpoint, though.