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Eric Holder Would Be 'Glad To Work With Congress' To Reschedule Marijuana

neversickanymore

neversickanymore

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Eric Holder Would Be 'Glad To Work With Congress' To Reschedule Marijuana
Ryan J. Reilly
04/04/2014

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration would be willing to work with Congress if lawmakers want to take marijuana off the list of what the federal government considers the most dangerous drugs, Attorney General Eric Holder said Friday.

"We'd be more than glad to work with Congress if there is a desire to look at and reexamine how the drug is scheduled, as I said there is a great degree of expertise that exists in Congress," Holder said during a House Appropriations Committee hearing. "It is something that ultimately Congress would have to change, and I think that our administration would be glad to work with Congress if such a proposal were made."

Several members of Congress have called on the administration to downgrade cannabis on its own without waiting for congressional action. Under the federal Controlled Substances Act, the attorney general has the authority to "remove any drug or other substance from the schedules if he finds that the drug or other substance does not meet the requirements for inclusion in any schedule." Holder didn't indicate Friday that he would be willing to do that unilaterally.

Although there haven't been any documented cases of deaths from overdosing on marijuana, the federal government treats it as a Schedule I drug with a "high potential for abuse," along with heroin, LSD and Ecstasy.

Re-categorizing marijuana would not legalize the drug under federal law, but it could make research into marijuana's medical benefits much easier and allow marijuana businesses to take tax deductions.

Several Republican lawmakers at the hearing questioned Holder's decision to allow Colorado and Washington to legalize and regulate marijuana and to take the states' actions into consideration when prioritizing federal marijuana prosecutions. But Holder said that he was "not sure that you're going to see a huge difference" between the cases the Justice Department was bringing before and after guidance went out to U.S. attorneys on which cases to prioritize.

"We're not blazing a new trail," Holder said of the decision to prosecute only certain cases based on the department's limited resources, noting that much of marijuana law enforcement happens on the state and local levels.

Any move to reschedule marijuana would probably face resistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, which Holder oversees. DEA chief Michele Leonhart said this week that the growing acceptance of marijuana only makes her agents "fight harder."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/04/eric-holder-reschedule-marijuana_n_5092010.html
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How about unscheduling it ?%)
 
DEA agents, and particularly the supervisors, and administrators have adopted the mentality that any decriminalisation, or legalisation of cannabis, or any other drug, must inevitably result in budget cuts and reduced staffing levels, thereby affecting them adversely, so they respond by becoming over protective of what they see as "their turf".

Their police agencies want to increase, or at least maintain what they have already, which goes some way to explaining the massive increase in seizures of private property and money, to fund things like improved police vehicles and other equipment. All such funds should be mandated for drug treatment, education, and health, not at the discretion of publicly funded officials motivated (consciously, or subconsciously) by self interest.

It's up to their political leaders to issue clear and unmistakeable directions, and to systematically de-fund federal prosecutions of all but the very worst cases.
 
Fuck the dea.... It makes my agents fight harder...because they are morons and can't see and don't care that a plant is the least of their worries and oh yes, it helps ppl! Can't have that! I'd love to see someone throw a shit ball in the dea directors face next time she says something stupid about drugs.,
 
I think legalization would mean an eventual shift in power over the drug trade. People like Leonhart, corporations like Pfizer or J&J stand to lose significant income and they're getting nervous.
 
Somebody needs to overturn the entire Controlled Substances Act.
 
Ironic, considering in Obama's first term he directed the feds to raid more dispensaries in my state (CA) than the guy before him. Oh well, I guess they're "evolving" again. If it gets them to do the right thing, so be it. Please proceed Mr. Holder.
 
from what i understand (and i could be reading wrong) holder doesn't need congress to do this, and congress never WILL do it, so it seems like the obama administration is reading polls that the majority of the country favors less or no penalties for marijuana and is paying lip service to the issue in an election year.
 
treezy z said:
from what i understand (and i could be reading wrong) holder doesn't need congress to do this, and congress never WILL do it, so it seems like the obama administration is reading polls that the majority of the country favors less or no penalties for marijuana and is paying lip service to the issue in an election year.
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Well maybe but Obama is second term and neither party seems united in any unselfish ways.
 
But at least it would make the Medicinal aspects more federally legal. It would also open up possible federal funding for medicinal testing. It might also open the door for big farma to try and get their greedy little hands on it.. if that happens I will move the fuck outta this country and call it owned buy the corporations.
 
neversickanymore said:
But at least it would make the Medicinal aspects more federally legal. It would also open up possible federal funding for medicinal testing.
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That's exactly it. Right now it's more difficult to run a study on pot than it is on mdma. That isn't solely a scheduled-class issue, but this would allow more research, which, once conducted, will make it harder and harder to continue justifying marijuana as an illegal drug (or, at minimum, make medicinal use extremely easy-access)
 
He absolutely HAS to know this has been the most unproductive Congress in the United States history, so all and all, this is kind of just a big "fuck you" to us all. "HEH-HEH-HEH SO IN THE MEANTIME, WE'LL STILL KEEP ARRESTING PEOPLE AND LOCKING THEM IN JAIL FOR IT AND BUSTING MEDICAL MARIJUANA SHOPS AND WE'LL STILL KEEP SEIZING MONEY AND PROPERTY TOO. I THINK THERE'S AN ELECTION IN A YEAR OR TWO SO MAYBE EXPECT US TO GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS THEN. I SURE DON'T HOPE CONGRESSMEN WHO ARE PAID-OFF SHILLS FOR THE PHARMACEUTICAL, TOBACCO, PRIVATE PRISON, POLICE UNIONS DONT BLOCK EFFORTS TO 'RESCHEDULE' IT. BUT IF THATS WHAT CONGRESS WANTS, IT MUST BE WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT."

"Rescheduling", I.e. moving it to another category but still restrictive category and still treating it as some harmful narcotic instead a plant like it is, so they can get best of both worlds: collect taxes from the "legal marijuana industry" and still get the pleasure of busts and seizures for "illegal marijuana operation" by people who just grow it on their own.

'"DEA chief Michele Leonhart said this week that the growing acceptance of marijuana only makes her agents "fight harder."'

Furthermore proving, the DEA operates without thought or reason at all. America better be wising up to this by now.
 
It's hard to even gauge the DEA by michelle's statements, she is constantly eating her own words :\ almost have some sympathy for her, i mean for ridiculous positions they take, that she needs to explain lol
 
While rescheduling is not perfect it's still a huge step in the right direction. Disabled and sick people will no longer get fired from their jobs and will be able to travel to other states without the fear of going to prison just for taking their medicine. Doctors will be able to write actual prescriptions not just recommendations. Research into marijuana's benefits will be allot easier. Progress is still progress when comes right down to it.

I really would love to see Michele Leonhart loose her job and end up working some minimum wage job at walmart. She's not fighting against drugs or to save lives; shes just doing it for her job and the DEA's funding.
 
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bmxxx said:
almost have some sympathy for her, i mean for ridiculous positions they take, that she needs to explain lol
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she doesn't NEED to explain shit she could leave there tomorrow and get an semi-honest job if she wanted.
 
^i think corporate america would be glad to hire the head of the DEA. (i guess that doesn't qualify as honest.)
 
treezy z said:
she doesn't NEED to explain shit she could leave there tomorrow and get an semi-honest job if she wanted.
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Of course. but, as far as I can see, a good part of her job is just trying to lie to cameras/micro's to explain shit that cannot be explained, and she's routinely humiliated for that (god, has anyone seen the footage of some senator/congress critter asking her "is marijuana as bad as narco's" and she couldn't give a direct answer? it was painful to watch, and she's either stupid-slick and just playing the part, or she's in a terrible spot and feels pressed into a corner for half her duties... meh, I don't have tooo much sympathy, because she's earning her livign fronting for a violent org that i have much trouble understanding, but it's difficult to watch her talk when it's not a press-statement and is an actual discussion, it's usually prettty brutal and you can just tell, from her mannerisms, that it sucks to be her lol
 
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