A coalition of 21 congressional lawmakers is telling the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to \u201cpromptly remove marijuana from Schedule I,\u201d while recognizing that the agency may be \u201cnavigating internal disagreement\u201d on the issue.<\/p>\n
In a letter led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and John Fetterman (D-PA), as well as Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Barbara Lee (D-CA), members told DEA Administrator Anne Milgram and Attorney General Merrick Garland that it\u2019s been eight months since the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended that DEA move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)\u2014and it\u2019s \u201ctime for [DEA] to act.\u201d<\/p>\n
They added that the current Schedule I status of marijuana \u201cproduces a cascade of severe penalties for marijuana users and businesses, including for criminal records, immigration statuses, employment, taxation, health care, public housing, social services, and more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Citing prior letters, the lawmakers\u2014including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)\u2014reiterated that while a Schedule III reclassification would be a \u201cmeaningful improvement, the only way to remedy the most concerning consequences of marijuana prohibition is to deschedule marijuana altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe DEA now has the power to determine whether it will continue the failed approach of keeping marijuana in Schedule I,\u201d the letter\u00a0says.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough some at the DEA have indicated that the agency\u2019s review of an HHS scheduling recommendation often takes up to six months<\/a>, almost eight<\/em> months<\/em> have now passed since the DEA received HHS\u2019s recommendation,\u201d they said. \u201cWhile we understand that the DEA may be navigating internal disagreement on this matter, it is critical that the agency swiftly correct marijuana\u2019s misguided placement in Schedule I.\u201d<\/p>\n That point references reporting in The Wall Street Journal that said DEA officials are \u201cat odds\u201d with the Biden administration over the scheduling review<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe longer marijuana remains scheduled in the CSA, the longer our communities face senselessly severe penalties and the longer the marijuana laws of the majority of U.S. states remain in conflict with federal law,\u201d the letter continues. \u201cRight now, the Administration has the opportunity to resolve more than 50 years of failed, racially discriminatory marijuana policy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe trust that the DEA is working as quickly as possible toward a decision on how marijuana is scheduled, as Vice President Kamala Harris recently reassured stakeholders<\/a>. We are also hopeful that the DEA will not make the unprecedented choice to disagree with HHS\u2019s medical finding that a drug does not belong in Schedule I.\u201d<\/p>\n The letter concludes by applauding President Joe Biden for promoting marijuana reform during his State of the Union address and saying Second Chance Month represents a \u201cprime opportunity to finally begin remedying the harms of marijuana\u2019s scheduling by removing marijuana from Schedule I.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe look forward to your prompt action and appreciate your attention to this important matter,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n The letter, which was first reported<\/a> by HuffPost, also cites a response several senators received from DEA earlier this month explaining that the agency is carrying out its duties in the cannabis review and \u201cmust follow the procedures set forth in the [CSA], including an opportunity for a public comment period and a hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s notable, as it appears to be the first time DEA has explicitly acknowledged the likelihood of a public feedback period including a public hearing after it announces the conclusion of its review.<\/p>\n Other signatories on the letter include Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkeley (D-OR), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Reps. Robert Garcia (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV) and more.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says there\u2019s \u201cno reason\u201d for DEA to \u201cdelay\u201d making a marijuana scheduling decision<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last month, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra defended his agency\u2019s rescheduling recommendation during a Senate committee hearing and also told cannabis lobbyist Don Murphy that he should pay DEA a visit and \u201cknock on their door\u201d for answers about the timing<\/a>\u00a0of their decision.<\/p>\n Read the letter<\/a> to DEA on the marijuana scheduling review below:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Biden Grants More Clemency For Drug Offenses, But Advocates Remain Critical About Lack Of Marijuana Commutations<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen.<\/p>\n The post Congressional Lawmakers Demand DEA \u2018Promptly\u2019 Reschedule Marijuana, Regardless Of \u2018Internal Disagreement\u2019 At The Agency<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A coalition of 21 congressional lawmakers is telling the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to \u201cpromptly remove marijuana from Schedule I,\u201d while recognizing that the agency may be \u201cnavigating internal disagreement\u201d on the issue. In a letter led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and John Fetterman (D-PA), as well as Reps.Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74648"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74648"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74649,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74648\/revisions\/74649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Congressional Lawmakers Demand DEA \u2018Promptly\u2019 Reschedule Marijuana, Regardless Of \u2018Internal Disagreement\u2019 At The Agency<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"