A Democratic Congressman has called on the Drug Enforcement Administration to finish its marijuana review as quickly as possible and to abide by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommendations to reclassify Cannabis under Schedule III.
Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, wrote to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram saying that he had “appreciated” the chance to speak about the scheduling review during a House Subcommittee Hearing last July. However, he wanted the agency to finish the task more quickly.
Since then, HHS has completed its scientific evaluation of cannabis and has advised DEA to move the substance from Schedule I to Schedule III in the Controlled Substances Act.
Cohen said: “I urge you to do everything possible to implement HHS’s recommendations.” It is important that the DEA review be expedited and that your agency initiates the rulemaking process quickly.
“Marijuana did not belong on Schedule I. He wrote that its inclusion led to harsh and disproportionate sentences in prison, especially for communities of colour. “Nearly 50% of states have legalized recreational marijuana use through ballot measures.”
Milgram was told by the lawmaker that she had a “historical opportunity” to make progress in Congress as they work on legislation to de-schedule marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, and to address some of these injustices caused by the misguided policy.
Cohen, , who has been a long-time advocate for the end of federal prohibition, wrote.
The DEA, however, has stated that it has the “final authority” to make scheduling decisions regardless of HHS findings.
In a letter sent to legislators last month, the DEA said that it had the final say on whether to schedule, reschedule or deschedule a substance under the Controlled Substances Act. This decision was made after considering all relevant statutory criteria, regulatory criteria, and HHS’s scientific and medical evaluation. “DEA is currently conducting its review.”
The DEA statement was in response to a letter earlier from 31 bipartisan legislators, led by Rep. Earl Blumenauer(D-OR), who urged DEA to take into account the “merits of legalization” as it conducted its review. The letter also criticized placing cannabis on Schedule III as opposed to removing it from CSA’s control.
The HHS sent hundreds of pages to DEA as part of its rescheduling recommendation. However, these documents have only been released in a highly redacted form. The agency sent DEA hundreds of pages explaining its rescheduling recommendations, but these documents have only been released in a heavily redacted format . There is little or no indication as to the findings of the federal agency regarding possible medical benefits, addiction potential, or any other aspect.
DEA received a variety of messages in the last few months from both sides of the debate on cannabis policy. One of these was a letter from 29 former U.S. Attorneys who urged Biden’s administration to keep cannabis under Schedule I.
The governors of six U.S. States–Colorado Illinois, New York New Jersey Maryland and Louisiana sent a letter to Biden last month asking the administration to reschedule cannabis by the end the year.
Six former DEA directors and five former White House Drug Czars have sent a letter to the Attorney General and current DEA Administrator expressing their opposition to the recommendation of the federal health agency to reschedule cannabis . The letter also included a questionable statement about the relationship between criminal penalties and drug schedules, which could have exaggerated the impact of incremental reform.
The DEA and Office of National Drug Control Policy directors under both major parties’ presidents are among the signatories.
In October, advocates and lawmakers who support marijuana reform marked one year anniversary of Biden’s mass marijuana pardon. They also called on him to do even more.
Two GOP Senators, including the Republican lead sponsor of an marijuana banking bill which was approved by a key committee back in September also filed legislation at the end of last year to prohibit federal agencies from rescheduling Cannabis without tacit consent from Congress.
A coalition of Republican lawmakers has urged DEA, meanwhile to “reject”, the top federal agency’s recommendation that marijuana be rescheduled and instead kept in the most restricted category under the CSA.
Separately DEA announced recently that it will take another shot at after abandoning its initial scheduling proposal for 2022. This is a new fight with advocates and researchers who claim the compounds have therapeutic potential.
Separately, the agency has warned Georgia pharmacies about the illegality of dispensing THC as it is still a Schedule I substance. This comes after Georgia became the first state in the U.S. that allowed pharmacies to offer medical marijuana. Nearly 120 facilities applied to sell cannabis oil.
The DEA has recently confirmed that spores, which produce the so-called magic mushroom, are not federally prohibited on their own prior to germination.
California GOP lawmaker expands psychedelics bill to create workgroup and plan for veterans’ therapeutic access
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