In recent remarks an official with the DEA said that when it comes to marijuana’s scheduling status, the agency is “in the process” of writing a recommendation, clarifying that Administrator Anne Milgram “will make a decision on where to place it – whether to change it or whether to remove it”.
In a recent episode of the DEA’s podcast and Youtube show Prevention Profiles: Take Five, Senior Prevention Program Manager Rich Lucey interviewed DEA pharmacologist Buki Ebeigbe, with a focus on the current review of marijuana’s scheduling status. Currently marijuana is Schedule I, making it illegal for all uses; recently the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requested the DEA to move marijuana to Schedule III.
During the talk, Lucey said “I just think it’s important for people to – again, going back to correcting misperceptions and really the issue of transparency and, by us even doing this podcast, just to help people understand the process. We don’t want it to necessarily feel as if it’s behind this shroud of secrecy, which I think then lends itself to this idea that it’s a whole arbitrary process.”
When Lucey clarified that the DEA’s review is “independent” of the review conducted by HHS, Ebeigbe said “That’s right. It’s in its process. We’ve received [HHS’s review], and we’re in the process of writing that recommendation”.
Ebeigbe says “Once that information is compiled and that document is written, that eight-factor document is written, it’s reviewed through our internal process.
She says “Ultimately, the administrator will make a decision on where to place it – whether to change it or whether to remove it or whatever.”
Lucey followed this up by saying “Right now it’s a ‘wait and see.’ HHS has done their part, and now DEA is doing its part, which is that eight-factor analysis. And that can take anywhere from like three to six months sometimes. I mean, it’s not like we’re going to be done in a week. It never happens that way.”
You can find the full conversation by clicking here.
Recently Vice President Kamala Harris said she wants the DEA to reschedule marijuana “as quickly as possible“.
