The Republican governor made the statement as the state legislature is considering a bill to legalize the use of cannabis if recommended by a health care practitioner. The legislation restricts the form of consumption to oils, pills or tinctures, and prohibits marijuana smoking, even in the patient’s home.
Ricketts said experts agree that marijuana is dangerous, citing its Schedule I classification by the Drug Enforcement Administration as evidence. That classification signifies that the federal government believes it puts marijuana on the same level as drugs like heroin and LSD and that it has “no currently accepted medical use.”
Yet, according to the DEA, “No deaths from overdose of marijuana have been reported.” And legalization advocates point out that marijuana’s classification was the result of an act of Congress, the 1970 Controlled Substances Act, and not based on conclusions from scientific experts.
