A key U.S. Senate committee says that marijuana's current federal classification blocks scientific research. Marijuana is currently classified as Schedule I, the most restrictive category under federal law reserved for drugs with a high potential for abuse and no medical value. Researchers must overcome procedural hurdles that don't exist for other drugs that aren't Schedule I. The committee's view is in line with a policy recently adopted by the AHPA Board of Trustees that directs AHPA to support rescheduling of Cannabis spp. from Schedule I of the controlled Substances Act to allow research on the plant and its derivatives.

A key U.S. Senate committee says that marijuana's current federal classification blocks scientific research on its effects —something that legalization advocates have long argued.

"The Committee is concerned that restrictions associated with Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substance Act effectively limit the amount and type of research that can be conducted on certain Schedule 1 drugs, especially marijuana or its component chemicals and certain synthetic drugs," the Senate Appropriations Committee wrote in a new report under the headline, "Barriers to Research."

"At a time when we need as much information as possible about these drugs, we should be lowering regulatory and other barriers to conducting this research."

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