After the DEA failed to reschedule marijuana plenty of marijuana advocates took to social media to show photos of their hands with patent number 6,630,507 – a patent owned by the U.S. government that is titled “Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants.”

The patent, which was filed in 1999, by a group of scientist from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) claims exclusive rights on the use of cannabinoids for treating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diseases caused by oxidative stress, such as Crohn’s disease, heart attack, diabetes and arthritis.

While THC is not covered on the patent the non-psychoactive part is, which is CBD, the part that has proven medical benefits for those with the ailments mentioned above. The patent describes CBD as superior when taken in high doses that can be ingested in very large amounts without side effects that cites various studies on CBD as an antiepileptic and as a potential treatment for glaucoma.

So we sit here today after the DEA’s ruling with a patent that clearly shows the government's role in the marijuana industry. Maybe after all the social media uproar from all those hands will let the DEA see that the advocates mean business for another possible reschedule.