A coalition of 12 members of the United States Senate sent a letter yesterday to the DEA and Department of Justice urging them to fully deschedule marijuana.
The letter addressed to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram and Attorney General Merrick Garland was signed by 12 Senate Democrats, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Elizabeth Warren.
“We write to urge the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to swiftly deschedule marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)”, states the letter. “The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recommended rescheduling marijuana from the CSA’s strictest schedule, Schedule I, to Schedule III. Earlier this month, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request, HHS for the first time disclosed its rationale for this recommendation, which made clear that cannabis does not meet the medical or scientific requirements for Schedule I.”
The letter continues; “While rescheduling to Schedule III would mark a significant step forward, it would not resolve the worst harms of the current system. Thus, the DEA should deschedule marijuana altogether. Marijuana’s placement in the CSA has had a devastating impact on our communities and is increasingly out of step with state law and public opinion.”
Marijuana is currently a Schedule I drug, the highest possible classification indicating it has no medical value and is highly dangerous and addictive. Descheduling marijuana would end federal marijuana prohibition in its entirely, effectively decriminalizing it nationwide.
“The case for removing marijuana from Schedule I is overwhelming”, says the group of senators. “The DEA should do so by removing cannabis from the CSA altogether, rather than simply placing it in a lower schedule”.
The full letter, first obtained by NBC News, can be found by clicking here.
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