Leheste Calls for Increased Marijuana Research

A Scientific American op-ed by Joerg Leheste, Ph.D., associate professor at NYITCOM, calls for more research into marijuana’s medical effects on the body. The article follows the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) recent proposal to reclassify marijuana, which would move it away from its current Schedule I category (a class that also includes heroin and LSD) and into the prescription drugs group. Among other points, Leheste notes that while this is a step in the right direction, the decision will likely fall short of giving scientists the unrestricted access they need. Instead, he suggests that marijuana be removed from the schedule of drugs or placed in a different framework altogether, which would make it fully research-accessible.