During a committee hearing today in the US House of Representatives, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram was questioned about the agency’s decision to reschedule marijuana, saying repeatedly that it’d be “inappropriate” to answer such questions.
“Because the formal rulemaking process is ongoing and my role in that process is to determine the scheduling of drugs, it would be inappropriate for me to respond to questions on this rescheduling matter”, Milgram said during her opening statement. Despite these remarks, she was questioned about the DEA’s decision to move marijuana to Schedule III by several lawmakers.
When Congressmember Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) questioned her about the DEA’s decision, Milgram responded “There’s a formal rulemaking process for scheduling or rescheduling controlled substances. That process is ongoing. The next step in that process will be a notice of proposed rulemaking and then an opportunity for public comment.”
Milgram followed this up by saying that because DEA “is involved very much in that scheduling process, and the DEA administrator is personally involved in it, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on it at this time”.
When asked a marijuana-related question by other lawmakers, Milgram repeatedly said “it would be inappropriate for me to comment at this time.”
On April 30 the Department of Justice confirmed that marijuana will be moved to Schedule III, with Director of Public Affairs Xochitl Hinojosa saying “Today the Attorney General circulated a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. Once published by the Federal Register, it will initiate a formal rulemaking process as prescribed by Congress in the Controlled Substances Act.”
