DEA Vs. Biden, FDA & Health Agency Over Cannabis Rescheduling: What's Up With That?

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra hinted at potential reluctance within DEA circles regarding the Biden administration’s proposed rescheduling of marijuana.

At a recent event in Sacramento, Becerra addressed the status of moving cannabis to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, indicating that his agency had acted based on scientific evidence and that the decision now rests with the Dept. of Justice.

When questioned about possible pushback from the DEA, Becerra evaded a direct response. In an interview with KQED’s Scott Schafer at the CalMatters Ideas Festival, Becerra sufficed with saying, “We did our job," then reiterated that the DEA has the final say in the matter.

Schafer pressed on, asking if there was resistance within the DEA. Becerra again deflected, advising the reporter to “Talk to DEA,” then repeated, “We did our job.” Marijuana Moment first reported this story.

Becerra noted that over half of U.S. states have chosen to regulate rather than criminalize medical marijuana. “The U.S. FDA, the scientists, have spoken and said we should deschedule from Schedule I to Schedule III on cannabis,” he added.

Becerra's comments on potential DEA resistance emerge amid ongoing speculation about internal strife surrounding marijuana rescheduling. A DEA official’s last-minute cancellation last week from a meeting with several federal health agencies to discuss marijuana policy further fueled questions about why the agency seems to be dragging its collective feet.

Related News: DEA Ditches High-Level Federal Health Meeting On Cannabis Research: Another Expression Of Distaste For Cannabis Rescheduling?

Bolstering Biden's recent call to reschedule cannabis, the HHS released a series of documents in January confirming that cannabis indeed has "accepted medical use" and that its "potential for abuse less than the drugs or other substances in Schedules I and II.” It then reiterated the agency's recommendation to the DEA to remove cannabis from its onerous Schedule I status.

Meanwhile, the DEA has been accepting public comments on rescheduling cannabis for the past several weeks. So far, 97% of the comments submitted through May 29 have been in favor of rescheduling cannabis.

Related news: EXCLUSIVE – We Analyzed 4,000+ DEA Marijuana Rescheduling Comments; Here’s What Americans Really Think

Photo: Courtesy of T. Schneider via Shutterstock