Republican Lawmakers Call on DEA to Reject Cannabis Reauthorization Recommendation

A group of Republican lawmakers recently sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) urging the agency to reject the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recent recommendation on August 29 to reclassify cannabis.

The list included lead authors Sen. James Lankford (Oklahoma) and Rep. Pete Sessions (Texas), as well as signatures from Sen. M. Michael Rounds (South Dakota), Sen. James E. Risch (Idaho), and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee), Sen. Mike Crapo (Idaho), Sen. Ted Budd (North Carolina), Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Oklahoma), Sen. Tom Cotton (Arkansas), Rep. Chuck Edwards (North Carolina), Rep. Robert B. Aderholt (Alabama), Rep. Hal Rogers (Kentucky), Rep. Earl L. Carter (Georgia) and Rep. Andy Biggs (Arizona).

“The recommendation to remove marijuana from the DEA’s Schedule I dangerous drug list is not based on science – it is based on an irresponsible pro-pot agenda,” Lankford wrote on social media, sharing the letter.

“Our letter calls on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to deny any petition or request to remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). “Any attempt to re-regulate marijuana should be based on proven facts and science – not popular opinion, changes in state law, or a government’s preferred policies,” the letter says.

One of the letter’s arguments against cannabis reclassification quotes the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) as saying that “30% of marijuana users suffer from marijuana use disorder and are severely dependent on the drug.” The authors mention this Increase in THC content in products today compared to 25 years ago. “These facts suggest that marijuana has a high potential for abuse and that the risk is only increasing,” they added. Last month, NIDA reportedly signed the HHS recommendation.

The letter’s authors also claim that cannabis “currently has no accepted medical use.” While it mentions the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved cannabis-derived drug (Epidiolex) and three synthetic cannabis drugs (Marinol, Syndros, and Cesamet), the letter states that substances only have a medical purpose Have value if they are approved by the FDA. The authors also added that the DEA previously rejected two cannabis debt consolidation requests in 2016 and the HHS agreed. “The rejection letter stated, ‘At this time, the known risks of marijuana use have not been shown to be outweighed by any specific benefits in well-controlled clinical trials that scientifically evaluate safety and effectiveness,'” the letter said. “We believe this analysis remains true today. In fact, at that time, HHS recommended that the DEA reject these petitions and keep marijuana on Schedule I.”

The signatories state that nothing has changed in the last seven years and believe that “the situation has gotten worse,” citing an increase in hospitalizations of children due to accidental cannabis use and the negative effects of cannabis on adolescents Teenager.

“It is irresponsible for HHS to recommend removing marijuana from Schedule I,” they concluded. “It would also be irresponsible for the DEA to follow this recommendation. Our country relies on the DEA to enforce our nation’s drug laws. We ask that you remain true to your mission and reject any attempt to remove marijuana from Schedule I.”

The letter fails to mention the evidence of cannabis’ medicinal benefits for a myriad of medical conditions, nor its role in the war on drugs and the countless people affected by its Schedule I status.

Now that HHS has provided the details of its recommendation to convert cannabis from a Schedule I substance to a Schedule III substance, the DEA will also conduct a scientific review.

These Republican lawmakers believe cannabis should remain a Schedule I substance, which classifies it as having no medical value and a high potential for abuse and classifies it alongside other substances such as heroin, LSD, ecstasy and others. Lawmakers who have continued to support cannabis in Congress, like Rep. Earl Blumenauer, believe this is just the beginning. “This is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough. I hope that further significant reforms will follow. This is long overdue,” he said in a statement.

NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano published an article explaining why rescheduling cannabis is not enough. “While some companies, particularly those operating in the commercial cannabis industry, praised the proposed change as a ‘huge’ step forward, others – like me – were far more cautious,” Armentano explained. “First, the reclassification of cannabis to a lower schedule within the CSA continues to misrepresent the safety of the plant compared to other controlled substances such as anabolic steroids and ketamine (Schedule III), benzodiazepines (Schedule IV), or even alcohol, which is unplanned. “

NORML has previously called for cannabis to be removed from the schedule entirely, and Armentano wrote that this is still the case. After the HHS advisory news was released, Armentano discussed the issue with media outlets including The Associated Press, The Washington Post and others. “Tobacco and alcohol are not included in the Controlled Substances Act,” he told CNN. “It is well known that these substances pose a far greater threat to health than cannabis. We should treat marijuana [under the federal scheduling system] equally.”