Rep. Blumenauer Grills Fed Health Agency For Clarity On Cannabis Rescheduling As Debate Heats Up

During a House Ways & Means Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rep Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) sought clarification from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding its request to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on cannabis scheduling, a topic highlighted in a recent Wall Street Journal article, which revealed increasing tension between the White House and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) over marijuana rescheduling.

The WSJ reported that certain DEA officials are resisting the change on the basis that cannabis’ medicinal benefits remain unproven.

Blumenauer’s inquiry comes as part of an effort to address what he describes as the “failed and discriminatory” federal stance on marijuana, which he said is categorized more on historical stigma than scientific evidence. He emphasized the need for change, branding the current administration’s inertia on the issue as “political malpractice.”

In a written question for the record (QFR), Blumenauer asked the HHS to detail the nature of its outreach to the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), the concerns prompting this dialogue and HHS’s legal standing to advocate for reclassifying marijuana to Schedule III, should the DEA suggest a higher scheduling.

"Marijuana was scheduled based on stigma, not science. It is time to remedy this injustice," Blumenaur wrote in his QFR, which he shared with Marijuana Moment.

The congressman gave an exclusive address at the September 2023 Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago. Cannabis reform will be one of the hot topics at the upcoming Benzinga cannabis event in Florida on April 16-17, 2024.

The report first revealing the HHS’s opinion request underscored an apparent discord between the DEA and the White House concerning the proposed rescheduling of marijuana. However, the HHS abstained from commenting on the record to Marijuana Moment’s inquiry and the DOJ has also remained silent.

This QFR also illuminates the debate surrounding international policy and treaty obligations, with some arguing that downgrading cannabis’s classification could conflict with international agreements.

Meanwhile, advocates, including a group of senators and Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) urged the DEA to refute any assertions that suggested rescheduling marijuana at the federal level would breach international treaty obligations, citing the example of Canada’s legalization efforts.

Blumenauer and his legislative ally, Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), expressed dissatisfaction in a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram about the sluggish advancement of a recently enacted cannabis research bill, a measure they jointly back.

Listen to the full hearing with HHS Secretary Becerra HERE.

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Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Unsplash