Laura M. Nagel

Laura M. Nagel is the deputy assistant administrator in the office of Diversion Control of the Drug Enforcement Administration. She argues in the following viewpoint, which was originally given as testimony before the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources in March 2001, that marijuana has not been proven safe and effective as a drug to treat medical conditions. Therefore, she contends, it should not be legalized for “medicinal” purposes. Moreover, she claims, several cannabis clubs that have been established to sell “medical” marijuana are actually fronts for drug trafficking. “Medical” marijuana initiatives are thinly disguised attempts to legalize marijuana.

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1. What factors are taken into consideration when determining in which schedule a drug should be placed, according to...