Nine Republican members of Congress are calling for the U.S. attorney to reject a proposal for marijuana’s reclassification that has been deemed “corrupted and flawed”. Donald Trump announced he was going to make a decision about it soon.
In a letter led by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)—in coordination with the prohibitionist group Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM)—the lawmakers said moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) would benefit “Big Marijuana and foreign drug cartels.”
In a letter addressed to Pam Bondi, they wrote: “We are writing to ask you to reject Biden Administration’s corrupt and flawed recommendations to reclassify cannabis as Schedule III drugs.” Reclassifying marijuana would tell kids it isn’t harmful, and give Big Marijuana cartels and other foreign drugs billions in tax exemptions each year.
It is not true that cannabis businesses would receive a tax benefit if marijuana was moved to Schedule III. They could instead take advantage of federal tax breaks available to other industries, but which they were denied under the Internal Revenue Service code (IRS), 280E.
According to the letter, the recommendation to reschedule marijuana by federal agencies during the Biden Administration “received immediate opposition from experts from across the political spectrum that agreed there was no sufficient science or data that would support the move to Schedule III.”
They wrote that “marijuana should be classified as a Schedule I substance,” adding that although reform advocates argue often that heroin shouldn’t fall under the same CSA categories as cannabis, their argument “is based on a misunderstanding about the drug schedule system.”
The drug schedule is not an index of harm. Drug scheduling instead weighs the potential for abuse as well as accepted medical values of a particular drug. Although marijuana has a different potential than heroin, there is no proven scientific medical benefit. It would therefore be wrong to reschedule marijuana, as it implies that the drug is not dangerous. This couldn’t possibly be more false.
It goes on to claim that cannabis is linked with psychosis (schizophrenia), anxiety, cardiovascular disease, and other issues. The letter also refutes research that indicates marijuana may be useful in treating post-traumatic anxiety disorder (PTSD).
The lawmakers stated that a Schedule III classification would “immediately give tax breaks for illegal marijuana dispensaries, cartels, and drug traffickers to the tune $2 billion annually” and “China’s drug cartels, as well.”
This letter ends by saying that marijuana rescheduling would encourage criminal activities and cause harm to our kids. The letter concludes, “We do not want to smell marijuana in every public place, nor are we happy with deceptive marketing of marijuana that could lure our children. Nor do we want more drugs flooding the streets.” Please respect the science, and do not downgrade marijuana.
The letter was also signed by Reps. Andy Harris, Robert Aderholt, Chip Roy, Paul Gosar and Blake Moore.
In a Thursday press release, Sessions said that rescheduling cannabis is bad policy no matter what administration you are in. As chairman of the House Rules Committee in the 115th Congress, Sessions blocked many incremental reform bills to reach the floor.
The data are clear. Marijuana is a drug of great danger that is only getting more so over time. He said that he has spent his entire congressional career opposing marijuana’s reclassification. “We need to protect our kids from the predatory marijuana business that wants them to be addicted users for life.”
Gosar said that the rescheduling of events “risks undermining Trump’s resolve to tackle America’s growing health crisis by signaling it is safe despite evidence that harm has been caused.”
He added: “We must reduce the exposure of addictive and impairing substances. We should not reclassify these substances to expand their access and minimize risks.” He said that reclassifying marijuana would encourage greater use of the drug, increased health burdens and costs to individuals and communities.
Kevin Sabet of SAM (a prohibitionist organization), said, “President Trump has a laser focus on getting drugs out of the streets” and that rescheduling marijuana “would set those efforts back.”
He said that rejecting the reclassification of marijuana is in line with President Obama’s priority to combat China and narcoterrorism cartels. Making drugs legal is a lifelong ambition of George Soros, but it will not make America Great Again.
SAM also led a letter this month with a coalition of prohibitionist, law enforcement and religious groups, imploring Trump to oppose the cannabis rescheduling proposal and leave the drug in Schedule I.
Trump’s recent remarks about an upcoming decision are less certain. While he endorsed the proposed rescheduling plan on his campaign trail, ahead of his second-term in office, it was not clear what he meant.
Contrary to the letter of the GOP, an important drug reform group launched a petition recently urging President Obama to go beyond rescheduling marijuana by legalizing it entirely.
On Friday, Congressional Democrats filed a federal bill legalizing cannabis.
Side Pocket Images. Photo by Chris Wallis.