The DEA announced (PDF) today that cannabis has no medical value, contradicting current ongoing research and treatments that have shown the benefits of cannabis use. The three assertions made by the DEA announcement were:
- Marijuana has a high potential for abuse.
- Marijuana has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States.
- Marijuana lacks accepted safety for use under medical supervision.
Drug Enforcement Administration chief Chuck Rosenberg says the decision is rooted in science. Rosenberg gave "enormous weight" to conclusions by the Food and Drug Administration that marijuana has "no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States," and by some measures, it remains highly vulnerable to abuse as the most commonly used illicit drug across the nation.