GOP Congress Members Demand DEA Reject HHS Easing Of Cannabis Restrictions, Ohio Rep Does The Opposite

Congressman Dave Joyce (R-OH), a co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, is refining the so-called Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) Act, a bill that would amend the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to undo federal criminalization of those acting in compliance with state cannabis programs.

Joyce, a regular guest at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference told Forbes on Monday that the purpose of the STATES Act is to promote states’ rights and send a message to the federal government that it “should get the hell out of their way.”

Meanwhile, 14 of Joyce's Republican colleagues are doing just the opposite.

Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) along with 13 other senators and congress members sent a letter to the DEA demanding that it deny an HHS recommendation to reschedule marijuana to a lower-risk Schedule III drug, first reported The Washington Stand. 

In the letter, the Republican lawmakers argue that “[a]ny effort to reschedule marijuana should be based on proven facts and science — not popular opinion, changes in state laws, or the preferred policy of an administration.”

Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho got his two cents in on Twitter/X. "Fact and science matter—both of which would require @DEAHQ to enforce our nation’s drug laws and reject any effort to remove marijuana from Schedule I."

The GOP senators and House members essentially want states to do what they're already doing and nix the idea of federal reform, saying current “research, science, and trends support the case that marijuana should remain a Schedule I drug.”

Divided GOP In Ohio And Nationally

In terms of the STATES Act, Joyce said, “I can confirm that we are working on something along the lines but different from what we introduced in the past,” a spokesperson for Joyce told Marijuana Moment on Monday.

Joyce recently expressed his support for an upcoming cannabis legalization bid in Ohio where the GOP is also severely divided over the issue.

No doubt this tug of war over rescheduling cannabis and how it will affect the industry will be on everyone's mind at the upcoming Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago on September 27 and 28. All information is available on bzcannabis.com