Congressman Cohen asks DEA Administrator to Expedite Rescheduling Marijuana

MEMPHIS – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a longtime advocate of lifting regulatory restrictions on marijuana, today wrote to Drug Enforcement Administrator Anne Milgram asking her to act expeditiously on an August 29 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommendation to reschedule marijuana to Schedule 3 under the Controlled Substances Act.

The letter follows a DEA oversight hearing in July in which Congressman Cohen questioned Administrator Milgram on this topic. At the time, Administrator Milgram said DEA could only act after it received a recommendation from HHS.

The letter reads in part:

“I urge you, in the strongest possible way, to follow through on HHS’s recommendation. It is critical that the DEA’s review is expeditious and that your agency quickly initiate the rulemaking process. 

“Marijuana never belonged on Schedule I. Its inclusion resulted in harsh and disproportionate prison sentences, particularly for communities of color. Nearly half the states have already legalized marijuana for recreational use by ballot measure. You have a historic opportunity to make meaningful progress as Congress works on legislation to deschedule marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act and address some of the inequities caused by this misguided and discriminatory policy.”

See the entire letter here.

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