Democrats from the Senate and House are urging the Drug Enforcement Administration to remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, saying it's "time to act."
Impatient with the agency's drawn-out review, Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, along with Reps. Barbara Lee of California and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, are pressing the DEA to get a move on, The Hill reported.
"We are now nearing eight months since the Department of Health and Human Services … recommended rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III — and 18 months since President [Joe] Biden directed HHS and the Department of Justice … to begin the process of reviewing marijuana's scheduling," the lawmakers wrote.
"It is time for the Drug Enforcement Administration to act," they said.
A Schedule I substance is designated for drugs with no accepted medical use and a high risk of abuse; the Department of Health and Human Services last year recommended marijuana be rescheduled to Schedule III.
"While we understand that the DEA may be navigating internal disagreement on this matter, it is critical that the agency swiftly correct marijuana's misguided placement in Schedule I," the lawmakers wrote.
"We are also hopeful that the DEA will not make the unprecedented choice to disagree with HHS's medical finding that a drug does not belong in Schedule I," they added.
Signing onto the letter were Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, along with Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Ron Wyden of Oregon, Alex Padilla of California, Peter Welch of Vermont, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, John Hickenlooper of Colorado, and Cory Booker of New Jersey.
House Democrats who added their names to the letter were Reps. Robert Garcia of California, Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, Dina Titus of Nevada, Val Hoyle of Oregon, Becca Balint of Vermont, Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, Katie Porter of California, and Delegate to the House, Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington, D.C.
There was no immediate response from the DEA.
Fran Beyer ✉
Fran Beyer is a writer with Newsmax and covers national politics.
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