In a letter to Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) asked why the agency has not begun taking steps to reconsider cannabis’ status as a Schedule I drug.
The letter notes that President Joe Biden (D) has sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Attorney General’s office asking for the process to begin. The letter follows Milgram’s July 27 testimony before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance during which she confirmed the president had sent the letter.
“While it is reassuring that President Biden has formally requested that the process of descheduling marijuana from the list of Schedule I drugs commence, it was concerning to hear you say that the Department of Health and Human Services has not provided a timeline for sending you its descheduling recommendation based on its review. When I asked if you would encourage HHS to give you that timeline, you responded: ‘I will ask.’” — Gaetz in the letter
In the letter, Gaetz asks Milgram to provide to the House Committee on the Judiciary the letter from Biden to HHS and the Attorney General’s office and the response from HHS regarding the timeline for rescheduling.
Gaetz requested a response from Milgram by September 15.
Earlier this week, reports indicated that HHS has recommended DEA move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law, departing from many advocates’ hopes that the plant would be descheduled entirely. DEA later confirmed they had received the recommendation but it was unclear whether the agency would take action.
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