The fight for the legal use of cannabis in the U.S. has come a long way since its prohibition by President Nixon in 1970. Many groups and politicians are hoping to have a U.S. government patent on cannabis. There was a small victory in this fight when the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill in November 2019.
It is legal to use cannabis for medical or recreational purposes in half of the states in the U.S. With this in mind, the U.S. government has a patent that aims to control the use and trade of cannabis. The U.S. government patent on cannabis number is 6630507, and here are a few facts that you need to know.
What Is Patent 6630507?
This is a patent given in 2003 to the U.S. Department of Health and human services. This branch of the federal government protects and provides essential human services to all Americans. Any new inventions on health receive their patents under this body. This ensures control of the research while allowing others to perform tests.
The scientists under this body are searching for antioxidant qualities in cannabis. The aim is to find ways that cannabis can help in reducing the symptoms of degenerative brain ailments. Hence the reason for applying for the patent in 1999.
Medical Expectations of Cannabis
Scientists under the National Institute of Health (NIH) believe that cannabis can help HIV dementia, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. This is because the non-psychoactive cannabinoids act as antioxidants, which help in the treatment protocol.
Further research shows that non-psychoactive cannabinoids can help in limiting the damage you may experience from a stroke or other trauma. The patent also speculates on their benefits in treating other diseases, including seizures and glaucoma.
What Patent 6630507 Says?
What you may not know is that the U.S. government patent on cannabis does not cover all attributes of the cannabis or marijuana plant. The patent’s only concern is in some non-psychoactive compounds in marijuana and not the plant as a whole. This means that it does not cover the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) properties of the plant.
The cannabidiol (CBD) compound, which is important, is not a major point in the patent. The patent also claims that there are no serious side effects of taking large amounts of CBD, following a test on willing healthy volunteers. What you can gather from this is that the government is familiar with the harmless medicinal properties of cannabis.
What the Patent Does Not Cover
First, the patent does not legalize the consumption of cannabis in any form. It only recognizes that certain compounds in it are helpful in the medical world. Information from the U.S. government is that it needs more time to research cannabis. Many aspects of the use of cannabis are still under testing. Some of these include proper dosage, long-term effects, and the effects on individuals with certain diseases.
The major contentious issues are the medical value and potential for abuse. Many scientists are discovering more amazing medical purposes of cannabis. But until there is concrete information, the U.S. government cannot legalize the use of cannabis.
Sources:
http://www.veriheal.com/blog/why-does-the-us-government-have-a-patent-on-cannabis/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cannabidiol-cbd-a-primer_b_58b7129ee4b0ddf654246290