Regular reviews of the Controlled Substance Act are crucial to balancing control with accessibility, ensuring that drug policies serve the public’s best interests. It is essential to ensure that policy reflects both the latest scientific understanding and the needs of patients and public health. Currently, the DEA schedules substances “depending upon the drug’s 1) acceptable medical use and 2) abuse or dependency potential.” However, outdated scheduling classifications are preventing patients from accessing valuable treatments and contribute to legal challenges for medical research. Some drugs, such as those with emerging therapeutic applications (MDMA, Psilocybin, Ibogaine, Mescaline, etc.) need to be rescheduled immediately to align with new evidence.
Additionally, autonomy of the individual must be taken into account just as it is with alcohol or nicotine. I would like to use Psilocybin as an example. It is a Schedule 1 substance which, according to the DEA, means that it has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” However, Psilocybin has no known LD50 (Lethal Dose). Reports have emerged of people taking 550-900 times the active dose without any bodily harm. It has repeatedly been proven to be non-addictive due to its unique mechanism of action. (Anyone who has tried it will tell you it was the last thing they wanted to do again when they woke up). Lastly, there is overwhelming research/literature to support the medical use of Psilocybin to treat treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, smoking addiction, and more. So Psilocybin is SAFE, NON-ADDICTIVE, and MEDICALLY NECESSARY. It meets none of its scheduling criteria and needs to be re-scheduled immediately.
Many drugs fall into this category, which is why I propose regular reviews of classifications.
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