Is Marijuana a Narcotic?

On November 6, 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational cannabis use by voters. Since then there have been other states including Canada, Spain, Netherlands, Israel, Italy and more that have legalized it for the general public. It is accepted by the general populace but still struggles in a Congress ruled by a majority of 58-year-old males compared to a balanced population with an average age of 38.

Cannabis is currently treated as a Class 1 drug and in the same category as a narcotic. But is it a narcotic? A narcotic is a drug or other substance that affects mood or behavior consumed for non-medical purposes, in particular sold illegal.

Chemically complex and not fully understood, marijuana is not a narcotic. Like alcohol, marijuana is both a stimulant and a depressant, but it remains in the body’s organs longer than alcohol. So why is it treated like this?

Photo by Carol Yepes/Getty Images

The much-maligned marijuana plant has been suffering since the early 20th century. It was a loser in the great (and winning) opium debates. Recently, however, it has increasingly been seen as the savior of the opioid crisis. The Centers for Disease Control considers medical marijuana a viable and safe alternative to opioids (such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone), which kill over 28,000 people each year. For reference, there have been 0 marijuana-related deaths.

RELATED: Science says medical marijuana improves quality of life

The Narcotic Drugs 2021 report presents data and analysis on the global production and use of narcotic drugs, including opium, morphine, heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and, unfortunately, cannabis, alongside more than 140 internationally controlled substances. The list is regularly updated by the INCB based on the schedule.

President Biden announced in October 2022 that he would consider cannabis re-regulation and that this would have a global impact on the treatment of marijuana. But the President, his administration and Merrick Garland have been slow to move forward with the review. That hurts veterans, because the Department of Veterans Affairs has changed policy to allow medical marijuana to help those who have been defending the country. In April this year, a group of 80 human rights groups called on President Biden to change policy. These included the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and

The American Medical Association has long advocated extensive, well-controlled cannabis studies to determine its role in treating disease. To advance this policy, our AMA supports the removal of federal impediments to cannabis research because we cannot generate adequate scientific evidence without adequate research.

On December 2, 2020, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the UN’s drug policy decision-making body, reclassified cannabis and cannabis resin onto an international list recognizing their medicinal value. The CND voted on recommendations from the WHO’s 41st Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD), which proposed reclassifying cannabis from its current list along with heroin, fentanyl analogues and other opioids considered to be extremely harmful to public health. A change in US policy would have massive global implications.

RELATED: Winning PTSD Combo? According to a new study, low-dose THC is effective when combined with therapy

Marijuana and medical marijuana offer safer and better options than alcohol and some pain relievers. They also offer proven treatments for ailments large and small. Hopefully it will be a matter of time before more research is done to better understand the plant and see its potential more clearly.

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