MMJ: Scheduling the Reschedule

Wasn’t the DEA supposed to have released their decision on rescheduling cannabis by now? -John E. Law

Of course they were, and of course they haven’t.

Do you know how hard it is for government agencies to admit they’ve made a mistake? If they decide to reschedule cannabis (currently, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug, meaning it has no medicinal value and is extremely addictive), what would they say to the thousands of people who have had their lives destroyed by the DEA’s overzealous pursuit of people that like weed?

This is the same DEA that could have de-scheduled cannabis in 1988, but chose to reject the findings of their own judge when he stated, “Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis, marijuana can be safely used within a supervised routine of medical care.” (There’s more juicy stuff in this opinion. Read it here:www.ccguide.org/young88.php).

All that aside, the DEA is taking its sweet time. DEA Spokesman Russ Baer recently told a reporter for cannabist.com, “I can’t give you a time frame as to when we may announce a decision. We’re closer than we were a month ago. It’s a very deliberate process.”

The DEA wouldn’t just be giving up the millions of dollars it wastes each year going after pot users, they would have to drop a bunch of cases, give back a bunch of seized assets, deal with prisoners petitioning for release. It’s a big deal. It is hard for people, especially bureaucrats, to willingly relinquish that type of power.

By the way, if you think the feds only go after big-time outlaw cannabis growers, I refer you to the case of Devontre Thomas, a 19-year-old from Oregon who faced a year in jail and loss of any potential federal subsidies (student loans, subsidised housing, etc.) for being caught with less than 1 gram – maybe enough for a joint – of cannabis on federal property.

It took a giant outcry by the public and a member of Congress to get the feds to drop the charges. The War on Drugs is a sham and the War on Pot Users is a mockery. It’s time for it to end.

I still hold out hope that President Obama will use his executive powers to deschedule cannabis right before he leaves office, but I am not placing any bets.