No, the DEA will not Legalize Marijuana on August 1
A weekly newspaper from Santa Monica, Calif.,reported on Saturday that the US Govt Will Legalize Marijuana on August 1, claiming that weed will soon be legal in all 50 states, with a prescription.
According to the Santa Monica Observer, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intends to reschedule cannabis from its current status as a Schedule I drug to that of a Schedule II.
However, the only source of this information is an anonymous lawyer with knowledge of the matter:
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will reclassify marijuana as a Schedule Two drug on August 1, 2016, essentially legalizing medicinal cannabis in all 50 states with a doctors prescription, said a DEA lawyer with knowledge of the matter.
Shouldnt we be excited? Not quite, as this news is unlikely to be true. The entire article which has since been cited as fact by several pro-cannabis blogs is speculationand rumor from a source that is identified only as The DEA Lawyer.
According to thesecond paragraph of the article, The DEA Lawyer had told the lawyer representing a DEA informant of the DEAs plan to legalize medicinal cannibis [sic] nationwide on August 1, 2016.
This, the second paragraph of the article, should be as far as anyone needs to read to realize that this article is hastily written, poorly researched, and simply speculation or a rumor, including the misspelling of cannabis and a poorly worded sentence structure.
Throughout the Observers article, the sole source of this information is only ever refereed to asan attorney who wishes to remain anonymous. Reputable journalists rarelyuse an anonymous source as thesole source of information because they simply can not be properly vetted.
According to guidelines issued by the Associated Press (AP), one of the worlds largest news organizations, articles must be properly vetted before publication including requiring more than one source.
In rare cases, one source will be sufficient but only when the informationcomes from an authoritative figure who provides information so detailed that there is no question of its accuracy, according to the AP. For example, a press release issued by the DEA, or a statement from a DEA spokesperson, but not an anonymous attorneyacting as the sole source of information.
Under the APs guidelines, which are considered the standard by which most reputable news organizations operate, material from anonymous sources should only be usedif all three of the following conditions are met:
- The material is information and not opinion or speculation, and is vital to the news report.
- The information is not available except under the conditions of anonymity imposed by the source.
- The source is reliable, and in a position to have accurate information.
Based on the Observers article and lack of substantiating information from the Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, and major media outlets the cannabis community should not be duped by this misinformation.
Unfortunately, some within the cannabis community have already taken the bait, and are quoting the Observer as fact, without any additional research or confirmation.
This blog post from The Joint Blog a website notorious for making grievous errors resulting from alack of research has gone viral since first being posted to Facebook:
According to the Santa Monica Observer, on August 1st the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will reschedule cannabis from a schedule 1 controlled substance, to a schedule 2 controlled substance, allowing it to be used and researched for medical purposes.
According to the Observer, a DEA attorney who wishes to remain anonymous made it clear that the agency, on August 1st, plans to remove cannabis as a schedule 1 drug which indicates that it has no known medical value and place it as a schedule 2 drug, allowing it to be used for medical purposes (other schedule 2 drugs include Xanax ...
