The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has declined to comment on its stance on rescheduling marijuana, despite being asked to do so in a recent legal filing. The DEA’s response comes as the agency is set to participate in upcoming hearings on the proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
The DEA’s refusal to take a stance on the proposal has raised concerns among advocates for marijuana reform, who believe that the agency’s lack of clarity on the issue is a sign that it may not actually support the rescheduling of marijuana.
The DEA’s response to the motion seeking its removal from the marijuana rescheduling hearings was filed on Monday and disputes the various claims made by pro-rescheduling witnesses. The agency is asking the judge to reject the motion and allow it to continue participating in the hearings.
The DEA’s decision not to take a stance on the proposal is likely to fuel further speculation about the agency’s true intentions regarding marijuana reform. While the DEA has previously stated that it does not have a position on the proposal, its lack of clarity on the issue has raised concerns among advocates for marijuana reform.
The DEA’s response to the motion seeking its removal from the marijuana rescheduling hearings is the latest development in a long-running controversy over the agency’s role in the marijuana reform process. The controversy began in 2016, when the DEA announced that it would not reschedule marijuana, despite a recommendation from the Obama administration’s Drug Policy Office to do so.
Since then, the DEA has been the subject of numerous lawsuits and Congressional hearings, with advocates for marijuana reform accusing the agency of dragging its feet on the issue. The DEA has defended its actions, saying that it is simply following the law and that it does not have the authority to reschedule marijuana on its own.
The DEA’s refusal to take a stance on the proposal is likely to continue to fuel controversy over the agency’s role in the marijuana reform process. The issue is likely to remain a topic of debate in the coming months, as the DEA participates in the upcoming hearings on the proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the CSA.
