Scientists are looking for single compounds they can extract and synthesize... the entourage effect in cannabis thwarts their efforts to patent single compounds. Until they get these patents, they will not admit to its benefits.
You cannot patent something that is already "public domain". see link below.
That has nothing to do with the Federal Govt. maintaining it has no medicinal value. I think I understand the connection you are trying to make...Big Pharma holds lobby, controls legislature etc. But we are talking about a few different faces here.
The FDA & DEA are the ones in charge of what schedule a drug is. With everything happening with cannabis all over the world, & that article I linked from a recent National Geographic, there is only so long those agencies can maintain that Cannabis is schedule 1. The facts prove otherwise. It's about how long we let it continue.
Once you get someone on a stage, or catch them on record, there is no way out of that argument. Quote the National Geographic article. Ask how it can continue to be regarded as no currently accepted medical use (it cures, not remission, but cures human brain cancer cells in 30% of cases. It put another 30% in remission. There were almost no intolerable side effects. There is no other drug that does that. Point out it's scheduling is a severe impediment to studying how much of a medicine it can be.
No matter what answer they give, they will look like an idiot to 80% of the world. Lobbyists or no lobbyists, it's just a matter of time.
Schedule I
Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are:
heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote
Schedule II
Schedule II drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse, less abuse potential than Schedule I drugs, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence. These drugs are also considered dangerous. Some examples of Schedule II drugs are:
Combination products with less than 15 milligrams of hydrocodone per dosage unit (Vicodin), cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, hydromorphone (Dilaudid), meperidine (Demerol), oxycodone (OxyContin), fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall, and Ritalin
Schedule III
Schedule III drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. Schedule III drugs abuse potential is less than Schedule I and Schedule II drugs but more than Schedule IV. Some examples of Schedule III drugs are:
Products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine per dosage unit (Tylenol with codeine), ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone
Schedule IV
Schedule IV drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a low potential for abuse and low risk of dependence. Some examples of Schedule IV drugs are:
Xanax, Soma, Darvon, Darvocet, Valium, Ativan, Talwin, Ambien, Tramadol
Schedule V
Schedule V drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with lower potential for abuse than Schedule IV and consist of preparations containing limited quantities of certain narcotics. Schedule V drugs are generally used for antidiarrheal, antitussive, and analgesic purposes. Some examples of Schedule V drugs are:
cough preparations with less than 200 milligrams of codeine or per 100 milliliters (Robitussin AC), Lomotil, Motofen, Lyrica, Parepectolin