The former U.S. drug czar under President Barack Obama expressed skepticism of marijuana\u2019s medical value and the Biden administration\u2019s move to federally reschedule cannabis in a new interview, warning of ominous industry influence over politicians and the country\u2019s medical review process.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not medicine,\u201d said former Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Gil Kerlikowske, speaking on the podcast of former U.S. Rep. Mary Bono (R).<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is all Big Cannabis,\u201d he added. \u201cThis isn\u2019t people my age that are just old hippies that want to open up a pot shop somewhere. This is a huge business like Big Tobacco. Absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kerlikowske\u2014also a former commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and police chief in Seattle and other cities\u2014was responding to a question from Bono about the opioid industry, specifically the drugmaker Purdue Pharma, and its role in the nation\u2019s ongoing opioid overdose crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat you and I observed, I think with pretty good front row seats, was the Purdue business dealings and the Purdue ethos\u2014the way Purdue decided to do business\u2014which made this challenge and this problem so difficult,\u201d Bono said. \u201cDo you think we could see something like another Purdue Pharma business model again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, in a way I think we\u2019re also seeing a bit of that now with the marijuana industry, and the fact they want to reschedule,\u201d Kerlikowske replied. \u201cAnd it looks like that could certainly happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nHe seemed to accuse \u201cBig Cannabis\u201d of being behind the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finding that cannabis has accepted medical value and should be placed in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), noting that an earlier HHS review of marijuana\u2019s scheduling status denied its medical efficacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHealth and Human Services, although three years earlier decided not to reschedule it, because there was no evidence of its health,\u201d he said, \u201cnow they turned around three years later and want it rescheduled, and it looks like the Department of Justice will go along with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bono herself offered that \u201cthe street-level dealer is no longer just some\u2026hippie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is now a member of a cartel and a part of organized crime,\u201d the former congresswoman said, \u201cand the whole business, if people truly knew what was behind it, they would be shocked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nIt was an honor to have President Obama’s “Drug Czar” on Sagely Speaking with Mary Bono. Gil Kerlikowske and I worked together very well. In fact, he visited my congressional district and sent funds to us to create a Drug Free Communities coalition ~ listen here\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2014 Sagely Speaking with Mary Bono (@sagelyspeaking) May 15, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Later in the podcast, when Bono asked about the politics of marijuana policy, Kerlikowske again referenced the industry\u2019s political influence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, you had the former speaker of the House, John Boehner, supporting this issue on marijuana, and there was a lot of money,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, it is just like watching Big Tobacco all over again on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his role as chief of police in Seattle, Kerlikowske opposed a 2003 ballot initiative that instructed the Seattle Police Department to consider marijuana possession its lowest enforcement priority.<\/p>\n
In 2019, following his exit from government, he told lawmakers in Mexico, who at the time were considering an end to prohibition in that country, that they would need \u201crobust regulations\u201d in place. Yet he also acknowledged that state-level legalization in the U.S. had reduced the \u201cappetite\u201d for drugs that are trafficked illegally<\/a> across the border.<\/p>\n
The latest CBP data show that marijuana intercepted at the southern border recently fell to record lows<\/a>.<\/p>\n
At the time, the comments were seen as noteworthy given that Kerlekowski had previously said the word \u201clegalization\u201d was not in his vocabulary\u2014nor in Obama\u2019s.<\/p>\n
His latest comments come amid an announcement from the Biden administration that the federal government intends to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to the less-restrictive Schedule III<\/a> of the CSA.<\/p>\n
The action is\u00a0being largely praised as a historic step in the right direction<\/a>, with the federal government recognizing for the first time in over 50 years that cannabis has accepted medical value and a lower abuse potential than other drugs in Schedule I such as heroin.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, activists have emphasized that rescheduling does not federally legalize marijuana or provide corrective relief to people who\u2019ve been criminalized over it. And, of course, prohibitionists have urged the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to keep marijuana in Schedule I and are expected to litigate if the agency moves forward with the incremental reform.<\/p>\n
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram has also\u00a0acknowledged the possibility of an administrative hearing to gain further input<\/a>\u00a0on the decision before its finalized.<\/p>\n
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has also\u00a0weighed in on the rescheduling development, saying in a report<\/a>\u00a0that while it was \u201clikely\u201d that DEA would enact the policy change, that would not bring state markets into compliance with federal law. It added that\u00a0Congress still has the authority to address the federal-state cannabis policy gap \u201cbefore or after\u201d that reform is enacted.<\/p>\n
To that end, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and colleagues have\u00a0reintroduced legislation to federally legalize cannabis<\/a>\u00a0and impose certain regulations. The bill\u2019s prospects are dubious in the current divided Congress, however.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the top Democrat in the U.S. House said 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>\u00a0Schumer filed.<\/p>\n
In a recent interview with Fox News, 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 CSA.<\/p>\n
Biden has separately issued two rounds of mass pardons for people who\u2019ve committed federal marijuana possession offenses. Again, a Schedule III reclassification would not legalize cannabis or free people still incarcerated over cannabis.<\/p>\n
During his last run for the presidency, Biden pledged to move cannabis to Schedule II<\/a>\u2014a stricter category compared to what\u2019s been proposed by his administration.<\/p>\n
\n69% Of American Voters\u2014Including Majority Of Republicans\u2014Support Marijuana Legalization, Fox News Poll Finds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
The post Former Obama Drug Czar Says Marijuana Is \u2018Not Medicine\u2019 And That \u2018Big Cannabis\u2019 Is Behind Federal Rescheduling Decision<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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