The United States Health and Human Services Department (HHS) will soon release a completely unredacted over 250 page document explaining their rationale for wanting the government to reschedule marijuana.
In December HHS released an over 250-page document explaining its rationale for wanting marijuana to be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Federal Controlled Substances Act (the Department sent a letter to the DEA in August officially requesting the move). The document, released after a pair of attorneys requested them through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), were heavily redacted when they released in December. Now, an attorney representing HHS says that they will soon release the full unredacted document.
“Good afternoon and thank you for your patience”, reads an e-mail from a Department of Justice attorney to attorney Matt Zorn, one of the two who initially requested the documents and sought an unredacted version. “The agency has advised that it will release the letter and its enclosures in their entirety.”
The e-mail concludes by stating “Your motion for summary judgement will be moot once the agency makes this release.”
In the documents, HHS points out that medical marijuana does have accepted medical value, something that flies contrary to its status as a Schedule I drug which indicates it’s highly addictive with no known medical use. If moved to Schedule III, marijuana would be legalized for prescription use across the country. Although states could still make medical marijuana illegal, it would give medical marijuana patients and dispensaries a plethora of federal protections.
In September congressional researchers released a report stating that the DEA is “likely” to reschedule marijuana, with many believing it will be done prior to the 2024 presidential election.
Last month a coalition of six governors sent a letter to President Biden urging his administration to reschedule marijuana by the end of the year.
Also last month, a coalition representing thousands of military veterans sent a letter to President Biden asking that his administration reschedule marijuana in a “timely” manner.
