Cocaine-Based Drug Descheduled — Cannabis Remains In Schedule 1

In recent news, there has been chatter about the drug enforcement agencies’ decision to remove a schedule II drug. After receiving a petition for a policy change the DEA has been looking into it. This itself isn’t what is getting Americans’ attention, it’s the fact that this drug is derived from cocaine. Many states around the country have been pushing to legalize other drugs such as marijuana or at the very least decriminalize it, and those states have seen no federal movement on this. 

In June of 2018, a company called Advanced Imaging Products purposed a petition to remove the drug 18 F-FP-CIT from the controlled substance list. Their reasoning is its medical benefits and positive results for patients with Parkinson’s. After years of testing and researching, the DEA and other federal agencies moved to completely remove this drug from their control. In the petition, it states that 18 F-FP-CIT is used as, “a diagnostic substance that is used in assisting the evaluation of adult patients with suspected Parkinsonian syndromes.” All of this is incredible news and shows how far science is growing and understanding treatments for different diseases. 

Even though this process took years to make its way through the legal system before the decision was announced, it proves this can be done. It is important to point out that marijuana and other plant-derived drugs such as psilocybin (mushrooms) are classified as Schedule I drugs, not Schedule II.  The difference is bigger than most people think. Schedule I drugs are considered to be the most dangerous and have the highest potential for addiction and/or abuse. Schedule II drugs are still considered to be potentially dangerous but can be used for medical purposes if the DEA allows them. 

If you’re not getting it yet, the DEA classifies cannabis to be more dangerous than fentanyl. There have been several lawsuits and petitions to remove cannabis from the controlled substance list with no hope. With the new declassifying of 18 F-FP-CIT, there is a public comment period open until December 6, 2021. One of the most bewildering points when reading through the DEA’s decision is that researchers for the Human and Health Services (HHS) are quoted saying, “it appears to be more potent than cocaine in some behavioral assessments.” When stating this they are referring to the way the drug interacts with dopamine transporters in the brain. Due to the fact that this new drug is derived from cocaine, there is still a high risk of addiction and abuse potential. 

All of this aside, the DEA and HHS completed their 8 step review process for the drug. The 8 steps are to ensure the safety of Americans if the drug is to be made legal:

Step one: Determining the drug’s actual or relative potential for abuse.

Step two: Research the scientific evidence of the drug’s pharmacological effects.

Step three: Find current scientific evidence about the drug.

Step four: Learning the substance’s history and current patterns of abuse.

 Step five: Understanding the scope, duration, and significance of abuse.

 Step six: Determining if there are any risks to public health.

 Step seven: Learning the psychic or physiological dependence risk.

 Step eight:  Determining whether the substance is an “immediate precursor of a substance already controlled under the CSA.”

In order for 18 F-FP-CIT to pass all of these steps, there must be some serious medical benefits in the drug. Especially when looking at step 8, we know that 18 F-FP-CIT is a derivative of cocaine. With this in mind, it is interesting to see the drug pass this final review step without any consequence for the dangerous and addictive nature of its origin. We can only hope this drug is used for medicinal use only and can provide relief to patients with Parkinson’s. 

As we have previously mentioned there have been several attempts for cannabis to become legalized at the federal level. With more research and evidence to show that marijuana isn’t an addictive substance and has therapeutic benefits, there is hope that we will see the DEA and HHS making strides in this direction. As of August 2021, a federal appeals court ruled in the DEA’s favor on this topic. There was a petition brought forward asking the DEA to redo their testing on cannabis products and remove it from the controlled substance list. 

With each passing year, we are seeing more states legalize cannabis. With the continued growth of the marijuana industry, some appeal judges have said, “The agency may soon be forced to consider a policy change anyway based on a misinterpretation of the therapeutic value of marijuana.” Keep your eye out for any petitions or news from the DEA regarding this matter.