In an announcement on Monday, the federal government has said it plans to expand cannabis research.
According to some cannabis experts, a move like this could downgrade marijuana’s Controlled Substances Act classification.
The decision comes just two days before a key deadline in a lawsuit against the agency brought by cannabis researcher Dr. Sue Sisley.
Sisley is a cannabis researcher of the Scottsdale Research Institute who had sought to end three years of stalling by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
“Until today, no one could do anything. We were handcuffed, in limbo,” remarked Shane Pennington, a member of Dr. Sisley’s legal team. “Now they’ve done something. It’s a huge, huge deal.”
“Now we just need to keep the DEA’s feet to the fire,” Sisley said in a statement.
“DEA/DOJ can slow-roll this for many years to come, leaving progress of medical cannabis research in limbo indefinitely. But at least that door is now theoretically kicked open.”
