DEA supports White House plan to streamline research into psychedelics and cannabis

When they testified at a recent House subcommittee hearing, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA) signaled their willingness to join a White House proposal aimed at expanding the process of research into List I drugs streamline.

Treatment by the federal government of List I drugs, which include LSD, MDMA, cannabis, and peyote, is defined by the DEA as having “no accepted medical use and high potential for abuse” has prevented many useful drugs Easily procured and examined are researchers.

Studies show that cannabis and a variety of psychedelic drugs are effective in treating a range of mental injuries, including clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for the treatment of PTSD that are currently in Phase III trials with the FDA is located.

Marijuana Moment reported that the DEA had stated in a written statement that “expanding access to Schedule I research is a critical part of the DEA’s mission to protect public safety and health.”

The proposal aims to balance the research limitations of List I drugs with those of the less restricted List II drugs, which include effective and commonly prescribed drugs such as hydrocodone, Adderall, and Ritalin. Researchers and policy makers alike have indicated that existing protocols for testing List I substances have for decades limited fundamental research into therapies that could save lives.

Photo by Esther Kelleter / Getty Images

“It is critical that the scientific and medical community investigate List I substances as some may be found to have therapeutic value,” said Louis Milione, deputy chief administrator for the DEA. “DEA supports expanding access to Schedule I research through the government’s legislative proposal. DEA looks forward to continuing to work with the research community and our cross-agency partners to facilitate Schedule I research. “

RELATED: Will The DEA Move A Cocaine-Based Drug Before Marijuana?

Current regulations include stressful situations where every researcher involved in a List I drug study must apply for individual DEA registration. The proposal would allow multiple researchers from a given facility to participate under a single registration, and possibly to span multiple sites.

Nora Volkow, director of NIDA, has spoken out against dealing with Category I drugs and how such rules impede feasible research. “One of the barriers that has actually been identified is that because cannabis is a List I substance, it requires certain procedures that can actually be very tedious,” Volkow said. “In some cases, it distracts researchers who want to study it because it’s just a lot more cumbersome than studies with other substances.”