Have you ever wondered why, if medical marijuana is legal, you can’t just buy it with a prescription at a pharmacy? The reason is because pharmacies are licensed by two entities, one state, one federal. On the state level, our board of pharmacy and licensing authority gives them permission to operate as a pharmacy. The feds, however, particularly the DEA, authorize them to dispense controlled drugs. And that is what the petition is about.
Currently, a pharmacist cannot handle marijuana because it would put their DEA license at risk. The DEA still classifies marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic. That’s the most strict classification and it means there is “no proven medical use.” Hmmm.
If you see the disconnect, you aren’t alone. What Governor Chafee is asking for (along with the Governor of Washington State) is to get marijuana reclassified as a Schedule II narcotic, one class lower. This would put it in the category with Oxycontin and other powerful drugs, but make it legal to regulate and prescribe. The current classification puts marijuana in with heroin and LSD.
The larger issue is how to bridge the gap between federal enforcement of federal law and the conflict with state law. It isn’t just a matter of who gets to arrest whom, but has regulatory impacts wherever state and federal policies collide. For example, you could have a valid prescription for marijuana in our state and still be rejected for employment in a federal job – a job from which you wouldn’t be excluded if you legally took other drugs.
This wouldn’t affect how bulk marijuana is sold. Trafficking would still be an offense, and possession without a proper prescription would remain illegal. Other federal regulatory bodies would still have a say, most notably the FDA. However, getting marijuana reclassified with the DEA is a start.
More on this story can be found at Yahoo News.
