Republican Lawmakers Urge DEA to Reject Cannabis Reclassification

In a letter to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram, 14 Republican lawmakers urged the agency to reject the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommendation to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act to Schedule III. 

“It is irresponsible for HHS to recommend that marijuana be removed from Schedule I. It would also be irresponsible for DEA to act on this recommendation,” the letter states. “Our country relies on DEA to enforce our nation’s drug laws. We ask you to uphold your mission by rejecting any effort to remove marijuana from Schedule I.”

The letter cites National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) research that suggests that 30% of cannabis consumers have marijuana use disorder, claims that cannabis has higher THC content than 25 years ago, an American Academy of Pediatrics study that suggests a 1,375% increase in accidental cannabis edible ingestion by children under 6 between 2017 and 2021, and previous DEA denials of petitions to reclassify cannabis.

The letter contends that cannabis “does not have a currently accepted medical use,” and notes that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs that contain either natural or synthetic cannabis are non-intoxicating.

“The FDA has never approved marijuana as a treatment for any disease or condition,” the letter states.

The letter is signed by Senators James Lankford and Markwayne Mullin (OK), Michael Rounds (SD), Mike Crapo and James Risch (ID), Marsha Blackburn (TN), Ted Budd (NC), and Tom Cotton (AR), along with Representatives Pete Sessions (TX), Chuck Edwards (NC), Robert Aderholt (AL), Hal Rogers (KY), Earl “Buddy” Carter (GA), and Andy Biggs (AZ).