The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) told lawmakers on Tuesday that it would be \u201cinappropriate\u201d for her to comment on the agency\u2019s recent marijuana rescheduling determination because the rulemaking process is \u201congoing.\u201d<\/p>\n
About a week after the Justice Department confirmed DEA is seeking to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III<\/a> of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), DEA Administrator Anne Milgram briefly touched on the issue at a hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.<\/p>\n Ahead of Tuesday\u2019s committee meeting, the prohibitionist group Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) said sources familiar with the matter have told them that Milgram did not personally sign the proposed rescheduling rule<\/a>. If true, that wouldn\u2019t necessarily mean that she disagrees with the decision\u2014but the administrator made clear to lawmakers that she would not be shedding any light on the process at this point.<\/p>\n However, she did notably respond to one question about past precedent and said that \u201cstepping out of marijuana,\u201d she\u2019s unaware of any instance where a DEA administrator hasn\u2019t signed a scheduling order.<\/p>\n Milgram focused much of his opening remarks on combating international fentanyl trafficking, but she also preemptively addressed the marijuana rescheduling news.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause the formal rulemaking process is ongoing\u2014and my role in that process is to determine the scheduling of drugs\u2014it would be inappropriate for me to respond to questions on this rescheduling matter,\u201d she said at the end of her opening remarks at the hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n While DOJ is moving to reschedule cannabis following an extensive review process, there are still several additional steps before a rule is finalized and implemented. That includes a White House review of the rule, a public comment period and possible administrative hearings.<\/p>\n Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) did inquire about the rescheduling decision with Milgram at the hearing despite her opening comments intended to preempt such questioning, and the administrator reiterated that the \u201cprocess is ongoing\u201d and so she wouldn\u2019t speak about it directly.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a formal rulemaking process for scheduling or rescheduling controlled substances. That process is ongoing,\u201d she said. \u201cThe next step in that process will be a notice of proposed rulemaking and then an opportunity for public comment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause DEA is involved very much in that scheduling process\u2014and the DEA administrator is personally involved in it\u2014it would be inappropriate for me to comment on it at this time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Ruppersberger responded by imploring DEA to \u201cbalance\u201d federal enforcement priorities with the need to respect state marijuana laws. He said Maryland\u2019s adult-use cannabis program is \u201cworking well.\u201d Milgram simply said she appreciates the input.<\/p>\n Another member, Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), pressed the administrator on where the marijuana rescheduling proposal is in the process and whether the White House has communicated with DEA about the action.<\/p>\n Milgram again declined to comment directly. However, when asked about whether she\u2019s aware of an instance where a DEA administrator has not personally signed a scheduling order\u2014as SAM\u2019s sources claims she refrained from doing with the cannabis proposal\u2014she said that \u201cstepping out of marijuana and talking about this generally, I am not\u201d aware of any such instance.<\/p>\n Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) asked the administrator about research into the prevalence of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome and whether she could weigh in on the adverse effects of marijuana use in light of the rescheduling decision. But, again, Milgram said, \u201cbecause that is going to be a part of this regulatory process, it would be inappropriate for me to comment at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I appreciate your mentioning that study and that, of course, I\u2019ll read it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Aderholt went on to say he\u2019s \u201cvery, very concerned about this rescheduling\u201d because he believes cannabis use is linked to an increase of certain mental health conditions.<\/p>\n Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) also asked Milgram whether a potential reclassification of marijuana under the CSA would free up DEA resources to tackle the country\u2019s fentanyl issue.<\/p>\n She said that, \u201cbecause some of this will implicate decisions that become a part of that rulemaking process, I\u2019m not gonna be able to comment on that.\u201d<\/p>\n But at a \u201cvery, very high level,\u201d the administrator affirmed that DEA does \u201ccurrently do work around marijuana across the United States where it rises to the federal level,\u201d referencing \u201cwork in a number of states on current illicit marijuana grows that are led by Chinese organizations, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo there is work we do. Our top focus is obviously fentanyl\u2014the drug that\u2019s killing Americans,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we do do work on [marijuana] currently.\u201d<\/p>\n Later this year, another DEA representative, William Heuett, is set to present on the agency\u2019s \u201cprocessing of schedule I research applications\u201d at a\u00a0federal research meeting on the potential for marijuana to treat pain<\/a>. It\u2019s not clear how that presentation might be updated in light of the ongoing rescheduling process.<\/p>\n Meanwhile in the wake of the DEA rescheduling announcement, a former head of the agency said the proposal is \u201cunderstandable\u201d because it \u201creflects the reality\u201d of public opinion toward the medical value of cannabis.<\/p>\n In an interview with Fox News last week week, former\u00a0DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson said it \u201cabsolutely looks like\u201d the agency will follow through<\/a>\u00a0with moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).<\/p>\n \u201cWhenever we see over a dozen states now have medical marijuana, clearly there\u2019s a movement for reclassification,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd so it\u2019s not a surprise to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it reflects the reality of today\u2019s both culture but also the public sentiment. That\u2019s most significant,\u201d said Hutchinson, a Republican who also served as governor of Arkansas.<\/p>\n Separately, the top Democrat in the U.S. House said last week that the Biden administration\u2019s move to reschedule marijuana is a \u201cstep in the right direction,\u201d but it should be\u00a0followed up with congressional action such as passing the legalization bill<\/a>\u00a0Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) filed.<\/p>\n On the opposite side of the spectrum, a Republican senator said that marijuana is a \u201cgateway drug,\u201d and Democrats\u2019 moves to legalize it\u00a0reflect \u201cpro-criminal, anti-American policies\u201d that will \u201cstimulate more crime on American streets.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0He also argued that cannabis banking legislation \u201cfacilitates an entire infrastructure and an ecosystem for more drug usage in America.\u201d<\/p>\n Marijuana Rescheduling Will Make Republicans \u2018More Comfortable\u2019 Voting For Banking And Other Reforms, Former GOP Congressman Says<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis\/Side Pocket Images.<\/em><\/p>\n The post DEA Head Tells Lawmakers It Would Be \u2018Inappropriate\u2019 To Comment On Marijuana Rescheduling Proposal Due To \u2018Ongoing\u2019 Administrative Process<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) told lawmakers on Tuesday that it would be \u201cinappropriate\u201d for her to comment on the agency\u2019s recent marijuana rescheduling determination because the rulemaking process is \u201congoing.\u201d About a week after the Justice Department confirmed DEA is seeking to move cannabis from ScheduleContinue 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\/75051"}],"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=75051"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75052,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75051\/revisions\/75052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\n
\nRead More: DEA Head Tells Lawmakers It Would Be \u2018Inappropriate\u2019 To Comment On Marijuana Rescheduling Proposal Due To \u2018Ongoing\u2019 Administrative Process<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"