By Susan K. Livio | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on August 11, 2016 at 7:28 AM, updated August 11, 2016 at 11:32 AM
TRENTON — The Obama administration will uphold the ban on researching the therapeutic benefits of marijuana, once again rebuffing requests to remove the plant from the list of the drugs, like heroin and cocaine, that are considered to be the most addictive and lacking medicinal value.
On Thursday, the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration will publish a notice in the Federal Register, a compilation of government rules, that will announce its decision to keep marijuana as a “schedule 1” drug, according to the Washington Post.
The decision will no doubt disappoint supporters who had hoped the federal government would finally allow research to determine cannabis’ potential. Half of the states in the nation, including New Jersey, as well as Washington D.C. permit the cultivation and sale of marijuana for medical purposes.