On Thursday, the United States government confirmed that Cannabis will continue to be classified as a Schedule I drug, grouping the plant in the same family as such scary substances as Heroin, Cocaine, and Meth.
DEA chief Chuck Rosenberg released a statement on Thursday explaining that a substance is classified as Schedule I when it “has no currently accepted medical use,” that’s recognized by the federal government.
Though this announcement came as no surprise to many advocates of medical marijuana and those fighting for re-classification of the substance, the decision seemed to invoke a collective sigh of exasperation from the cannabis community.
A silver lining may be found in the subsequent parts of the DEA’s announcement, in which the organization suggests it will take action to remove legal hurdles currently in place that are preventing groups from cultivating cannabis to be used for scientific research.