--- title: The Scientific Benefits of Marijuana, a Schedule 1 drug description: This is what scientists want to study regarding marijuana. The government says it will remain a schedule 1 drug. canonical: https://time.com/4448757/7-scientific-effects-of-marijuana-that-experts-want-to-study/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-08-11T19:44:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-07T06:42:28.222Z article:section: Health og:title: The Scientific Benefits of Marijuana, a Schedule 1 drug og:description: This is what scientists want to study regarding marijuana. The government says it will remain a schedule 1 drug. og:url: https://time.com/4448757/7-scientific-effects-of-marijuana-that-experts-want-to-study/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltce6f371595742f06/69889edff887dc68eae96c13/medical-marijuana-lead.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: medical-marijuana-lead og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Scientific Benefits of Marijuana, a Schedule 1 drug twitter:description: This is what scientists want to study regarding marijuana. The government says it will remain a schedule 1 drug. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltce6f371595742f06/69889edff887dc68eae96c13/medical-marijuana-lead.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 7 Scientific Effects of Marijuana That Experts Want to Study > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=1be9cb52-2322-4af3-8fc8-fa733d6f770b&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Watch: Inside One of New York’s First Medical Marijuana Dispensaries [Watch (HLS stream): Watch: Inside One of New York’s First Medical Marijuana Dispensaries](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8UkmeWNa.m3u8) (2:15)  _Published 2016-01-22. Tour one of the five facilities that will provide cannabis for medical purposes_ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Aug 11, 2016 7:44 PM UTC by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Aug 11, 2016 7:44 PM UTC On Thursday the U.S. government [announced](http://time.com/4447462/marijuana-dea-schedule-i-drug/) that [marijuana](http://time.com/4419003/can-medical-marijuana-help-end-the-opioid-epidemic/?xid=tcoshare) would continue to be classified as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it has a high potential for abuse. However, the feds are allowing more research on marijuana’s medicinal uses by making it easier for researchers to grow it. Many researchers, both those who view marijuana as beneficial and those who are skeptical, argue that the government’s stance still hinders research. “I understand the cautious nature of the government, whose role is basically to protect its citizens, but it is disappointing that marijuana continues to be included on the DEA’s list of the most dangerous drugs,” says Dr. Yasmin Hurd of Mount Sinai, who studies the effects of marijuana on the brain. Though more than 20 states have legalized marijuana for medicinal uses, there’s still a lot scientists don’t know about it. “It’s actually quite amazing how little we really know about something that has been used for thousands of years,” says Sachin Patel of Vanderbilt University who studies cannabis. “We desperately need well-controlled unbiased large scale research studies into the efficacy of cannabis for treating disease states, which we have very little of right now. Without these studies we are basically flying blind with regard to medical marijuana in my opinion.” Scientists argue that studying marijuana is safe, and researching it shouldn’t be such a difficult process. “A question that is not on the lips of researchers is whether or not the consumption of cannabis-based medicines is safe,” says Gregory Gerdeman, an Assistant Professor of Biology at Eckerd College. “In the biomedical research community, it is universally understood that cannabis is a very safe, well-tolerated medicine.” Here’s what researchers tell TIME they want to know about marijuana. **Is marijuana an effective cancer therapy?** “It is already widely understood that marijuana is valuable and safe as a palliative medicine, which undermines the tenets of the Schedule 1 status,” says Gerdeman. “But additionally, there are anecdotal patient reports, increasing numbers of legitimate clinical case studies, and large amounts of preclinical studies that all indicate tumor-fighting activities of cannabinoids, and with great mechanistic detail.” Gerdeman says he wants to know whether herbal marijuana is effective in cancer therapy, and if it is, for what cancer types. **What does it do to the brain?** [Studies](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160706114407.htm) have shown small structural changes in the brains of people who use marijuana, and researchers say there is little doubt that using marijuana has effects on the brain. However, whether those changes are actually bad, remains unknown. “This is an important question with tremendous policy implications,” says Gerdeman. “While the media interpret such \[changes\] de facto as evidence of damage, they are within the range of normal human variation as far as we currently understand.” **What dosage or strains have the best use in medicine?** Researchers say they want to know more about how much marijuana is needed to treat a person’s disorder, and for how long. “Like all drugs, FDA-approved therapeutics or recreational, marijuana will have some unwanted side effects,” says Sinai’s Hurd. In addition, researchers are still looking into what strains are most beneficial and whether a person needs the whole plant, or just one compound. **Can marijuana help brain and cognitive problems?**Some researchers, like Gerdeman, want to study whether marijuana could stave off Alzheimer’s disease or even mitigate brain damage from stroke or concussions. One [2014 study](http://www.alzheimers.net/6-15-15-effects-of-medical-marijuana-on-alzheimers/) suggested a compound in marijuana could slow the production of proteins that accumulate when a person has Alzheimer’s. **What about anxiety?**There’s some evidence suggesting marijuana could help people with anxiety, but the relationship is still not well understood. “Without the clinical trials it may be a long time before we know for sure,” says Patel. **Can pot help end the opioid epidemic?**[As TIME has previously reported](http://time.com/4419003/can-medical-marijuana-help-end-the-opioid-epidemic/?xid=tcoshare), several doctors are interested in the use of marijuana as an alternative or adjunct to opioids, since the U.S. is currently in the midst of an epidemic of painkiller addiction. “If you give \[opioids\] alongside cannabis, there is a synergistic effect which means you can give less of the opioid and or you can give the opioid for a shorter period,” says Dr. Lester Grinspoon is Associate Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. [A 2016 study](http://time.com/4419003/can-medical-marijuana-help-end-the-opioid-epidemic/?xid=tcoshare) found doctors in a state where marijuana was legal prescribed an average of 1,826 fewer doses of painkillers per year. **Are there long term consequences of using pot?**Scientists also want to understand whether marijuana can cause any effects over the long term, since some people may use the plant medicinally for some time. “What are the effects on the developing brain?,” says Hurd. “This is a particularly important question for me since our preclinical studies suggested that prenatal and adolescent THC exposure can have long-term impact into adulthood long after the drug was administered.” ## Transcript It's not lost on me that every day I come to work, I'm in violation of federal law. [ SOUND ] Good afternoon, thank you for calling Vireo Health. This is Aashna. If you look around, we don't have pictures of Bob Marley, we're not playing his music. This is the setting of a doctor's office, of a neighborhood pharmacy. [ MUSIC ] The perception around marijuana And there's a stigma that's been a huge hurdle for us. Typical to New Yorker's, we were doing it in our own style. Somewhat similar to Minnesota, but a very cautious strict approach. Not every physician can recommend cannabis. Only those who have gone through a special training that is offered by the New York State Department. Of health. The dispensaries is where patients come, nd are able to purchase their medicine so long that they have a medical marijuana ID. And a recommendation from their physician. Currently there are only ten very severe debilitating diseases that we can serve patients for in New York. [ UNKNOWN ] examples would be HIV, cancer, epilepsy, sever spinal injury with spasticity, ALS. And in New York, we're allowed Three forms of these medications. The first, which most closely resembles a medication, is the capsule form. Second would be an oil form, that we are using probably most with out pediatric patients. The final form that we offer here is the vaporizer. Because cannabis is a schedule one drug Is considered federally illegal, medical cannabis products are not eligible for prescription drug coverage. That means that patients who come through our doors are paying out- of- pocket. And can pay anywhere from two to three hundred dollars a month. We're taking something that's been sold illegally for decades, and now we're creating a real market for it. 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