A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing highlighted the emerging conflict between drug policies and scientific research. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pressed FDA official Dr. Sushmita Dasgupta about drug scheduling.
Ocasio-Cortez asked Dr. Sushmita Dasgupta how drugs are classified under the federal scheduling system established by the Controlled Substances Act. Dr. Dasgupta said that drugs in Schedule I are those that have “no potential for medical use” and have a high potential for abuse and addiction. She gave the example of cannabis, LSD, and ecstasy.
Ocasio-Cortez pressed her further, saying there was “zero evidence” that those drugs have medical benefits.
“I think the medical literature is clear that they do have clinical benefits,” Dr. Dasgupta said.
Ocasio-Cortez said that there was a contradiction between the laws and scientific research.
“So right now, our law says that these drugs have zero medical application, but the science says something else,” she said. Dr. Dasgupta agreed.
The legislators went through how the drug classification works in America, how different substances are classified from Schedule I to Schedule V based on their medical use, potential for abuse, and likelihood to cause addiction. Schedule I is for substances that have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, while Schedule V is for substances that have some medical use and a low potential for addiction or abuse.
Dasgupta agreed with Ocasio-Cortez’s explanation of the drug classification system, saying it is “spot on” and that these classifications also have serious legal implications. Once a drug is classified, penalties for possession can be stiff right away.
The drug classification system was established around 1970, and this is part of a broader effort by Congress to discourage drug use through legal penalties and to control substances used in medical and research settings.
But Ocasio-Cortez said that more than five decades after the drug classification system was established, it is no longer effective, citing the war on drugs and the obstacles to medical research.
She mentioned studies that show substances classified as Schedule I could have potential for therapeutic use for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.
Dasgupta said that the classification makes it more difficult for researchers to continue studying these substances.
