A Democratic legislator who is the leader of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus claims that rescheduling marijuana would set the nation back “another fifty years” in the race to federal legalization.
On Thursday, at a National Cannabis Industry Association summit in Sacramento, Rep. Barbara Lee, D-CA, told Marijuana Moment she was “opposed” by the recommendation of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to the Drug Enforcement Administration to move marijuana from Schedule I into Schedule III.
The congresswoman stated that it would take 50 more years for legalization to be achieved.
Lee said she had not heard directly from DEA about accepting the Schedule III recommendation. “I assumed that they would and I was getting ready.”
Earl Blumenauer, a fellow Cannabis Caucus member and co-chair of the House Democratic Caucus, has argued that the DEA should remove marijuana completely from the Controlled Substances Act rather than simply rescheduling it. Lee goes a step beyond by opposing the incremental reforms of rescheduling.
In a discussion at the NCIA event held on Thursday, Lee stressed that even if the federal government decides to move forward with rescheduling marijuana, stakeholders and advocates shouldn’t stop fighting.
She said, “We have a chance to change things once the regulations are published.” Once they are published, there will be an opportunity for public comment. Here’s where I hope everyone weighs in. Comment periods are a great way for the public to voice their opinions and send in comments.
Front row at the @NCIAorg Stakeholder Summit in Sacramento, listening to Cannabis Caucus Co-chair @RepBarbaraLee, CA’s top regulator @NicoleElliottCA and @michellerutter talk federal reform pic.twitter.com/hfkwTdtLBI
— Kyle Jaeger February 22, 2020
Lee stated that the more realistic, important and practical input we receive from industry and you, the better off we will be. We’ll say no, even if they go forward.
She was asked to explain why bipartisan support for reform in Congress has not been able to be achieved. She blamed the “political dynamic.”
She said, “Of Course, it’s Elections and about making sure that neither the House Democrats nor the Senate Democrats are successful.” “Rather than do the people’s work, which is what was elected to be done, it’s all about trying stop President Biden winning reelection.”
Nicole Elliott, Director of the California Department of Cannabis Control, was also present for the panel. The top state regulator said that when the federal government finally legalizes cannabis, it will learn from the state regulatory models.
Elliott added: “If the federal governments is creating a baseline, acknowledge the state frameworks that have brought in operators and that are working closely with regulators. Use that for the greater good.” “Leverage state frameworks and state regulators in a manner that is helpful to the shared goal.” This would be the most important thing.
The congresswoman told Marijuana Moment that after the panel, she believed the pardons for federal marijuana possession crimes should “be extended all the way through, and any unintended consequences or intended effects of the drug war should be addressed to repair the damages.”
On the rescheduling issue, the Biden administration was recently pressed to move marijuana to Schedule III by two coalitions representing military veterans and law enforcement–including a group that counts DEA Administrator Anne Milgram among its members.
Blumenauer, co-chair of the Cannabis Caucus, has also urged DEA to release more information regarding its own ongoing review . This includes what the “planned deadline” for completion is and whether or not it will consider the fact that several states have already legalized marijuana.
The correspondence was in response to a recent statement from DEA asserting that it had “final authority” over the rescheduling decisions–which, itself, was a reply to a separate letter by Blumenauer and other bipartisan legislators including Lee.
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A Republican congressman, who has been a long-time opponent of marijuana reform, claimed in a written letter to DEA, that FDA reached a “misguided” conclusion to recommend rescheduling Cannabis. He challenged the scientific standards set by the health agency and pleaded with DEA to disregard them when it comes to making a final decision.
The letter was sent by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D) and John Fetterman(D) along with Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer (D) and other advocates of marijuana reform urged DEA go beyond rescheduling and fully remove cannabis from the CSA.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra stated last month that had “communicated” to DEA its “position” regarding marijuana rescheduling and continued to provide additional information in order to help with the final decision.
Before HHS released a trove documents regarding its cannabis recommendation, a group of Democratic state attorneys general urged DEA to proceed with federal marijuana rescheduling. They called the policy change a ‘public safety imperative.
In a second letter, sent in December, 29 former U.S. Attorneys urged the Biden administration not to include cannabis on Schedule I.
In the same month, six U.S. governors–Colorado. Illinois, New York. New Jersey, Maryland, and Louisiana-sent a message to Biden , urging the administration to reschedule cannabis by the end last 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.
A coalition of Republican lawmakers , meanwhile separately, urged DEA “reject” top federal health agency’s recommendation to reschedule cannabis, and instead keep it the most restrictive category in the CSA.
According to a recent survey, about 13 of marijuana users said they would return to the illegal market in case cannabis was rescheduled as a prescription-only drug and made available legally.
A recent survey revealed that Joe Biden could gain significant political benefits if marijuana were rescheduled as per his administrative directive. Biden does not directly control the outcome.
He has regularly praised his 2022 scheduling order, as well as the mass pardons he granted to people who had committed federal marijuana possession crimes. In December , he issued a new and expanded pardon declaration. The Justice Department has begun issuing certificates for those who applied in the second round.
According to one pardoned person, the Vice President Kamala Harris’s office has been contacting people who have received a cannabis-pardon to ensure that the certification process at Justice Department is proceeding smoothly. They also engage in broader conversations about cannabis policy reform.
Separately the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recently , highlighted its scientific review of marijuana, which led the agency recommend rescheduling. This process involved a thorough analysis of research as well as looking at hundreds posts on social media platforms in order to determine how consumers describe cannabis’ therapeutic impact.
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The first time Marijuana Moment published the post Congresswoman Says Marijuana Rescheduling Could Set Federal Legalization Back “Another 50 Year”.
