While dronabinol was initially approved by the United States
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 31, 1985, it was not until May 13, 1986, the
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), issued a Final Rule and Statement of Policy authorizing the "rescheduling of synthetic dronabinol in
sesame oil and encapsulated in soft
gelatin capsules from
Schedule I to
Schedule II" (DEA 51 FR 17476-78). This permitted medical use of Marinol, albeit with the severe restrictions associated with Schedule II status. For instance, refills of Marinol prescriptions were not permitted. On April 29, 1991, the
Commission on Narcotic Drugs, in accordance with article 2, paragraphs 5 and 6, of the
Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971, decided that Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (also referred to as Δ9-THC) and its stereochemical variants should be transferred from Schedule I to Schedule II of that Convention. This released Δ9-THC from many of the restrictions imposed by the convention, facilitating its marketing as medication. An article published in the April–June 1998 issue of the
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs found that "Healthcare professionals have detected no indication of script-chasing or doctor-shopping among the patients for whom they have prescribed dronabinol". The authors state that Marinol has a low potential for abuse. In 1999, in the United States, Marinol was rescheduled from Schedule II to
Schedule III of the
Controlled Substances Act, reflecting a finding that dronabinol had a potential for abuse less than that of
cocaine and
heroin. In 2003, the
World Health Organization Expert Committee on Drug Dependence recommended transferring THC to Schedule IV of the convention, citing its medical uses and low abuse potential. In 2019, the Committee recommended transferring Δ9-THC to Schedule I of the
Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, but its recommendations were rejected by the
United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs. ==Society and culture==