Yo, peep this, a rep from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) just dropped some knowledge on the low about their review process for drug scheduling, makin’ it crystal clear they aim for transparency in the game. The DEA is currently lookin’ to switch up the classification of weed and wants to make sure everyone knows what’s up with their decision-making. This official said it can take up to six months to analyze recommendations from health authorities, which lines up with how long they’ve been checkin’ out that green herb.
In the latest chit-chat session from the DEA’s “Prevention Profiles: Take Five” series, DEA Senior Prevention Program Manager Rich Lucey and DEA pharmacologist Buki Ebeigbe chopped it up about the scheduling process, especially how it connects to the ongoing review of Mary Jane. This is the first time these officials have gone public with talk about where marijuana stands on that Schedule I list.
Lucey stressed how crucial transparency is, trying to set the record straight on what’s really good with the process. He’s all about using podcasts and other ways to break it down for folks, tryin’ to squash any idea that it’s shady business, which just leads to folks thinkin’ it’s all random.
Legislators and advocates are all about that transparency too. Even though the DEA got a recommendation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to move weed from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), they’re doin’ their own review separate from the HHS and haven’t spilled any extra info to the public.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Ebeigbe confirmed. “We’re doin’ our thing right now. We got that HHS analysis, and we’re puttin’ together our own recommendation on where weed should land in terms of scheduling for DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.”
She explained how once all the info is collected and the eight-factor document is ready, they gotta go through an internal review. The admin will be the one to decide where weed belongs – whether they’ll change it, move it, or do somethin’ else with it.
Lucey also shared that these drug scheduling reviews take time.
“Right now, we gotta play the waiting game. HHS did their part, now DEA is doin’ its thing with that eight-factor analysis. This process can take three to six months,” he said. “It ain’t no quick turnaround; never is.”
With all this talk going around about how long this review is takin’, there’s a lot of heat on the DEA to get movin’. Vice President Kamala Harris even jumped in, tellin’ them to hurry up and finish this weed review already. She ain’t feelin’ how marijuana is still sittin’ next to heroin on that Schedule I list – she thinks it’s crazy unfair.
Once this review wraps up, everyone’s waitin’ for the DEA to announce its decision in the Federal Register and open it up for public comments. Ebeigbe wasn’t sure how much those comments will sway their final decision on rescheduling, but she did say they gotta respond publicly to each one they get.
But even with all that uncertainty in the air, Ebeigbe wants folks to know they ain’t messin’ around with this review process. Everything they do has gotta be rock solid legally and backed up by facts.
There’s also talk about whether movin’ weed down to Schedule III would cause issues with international treaties – some folks say it could go against United Nations (UN) Single Convention treaties. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra stood by his agency’s recommendation during a Senate hearing and told cannabis lobbyist Don Murphy to hit up the DEA for answers on when they’ll make their call.
Word on the street is some DEA heads ain’t feelin’ President Biden’s push for rescheduling – they’re not convinced weed is as safe as folks say or has as much medical potential as some claim. The Biden administration is gettin’ pressure from vet and cop groups, including one with DEA head honcho Milgram in it, to get on with rescheduling already.
There’s been a survey goin’ around showin’ that if Biden does push through with rescheduling weed, his chances at re-election could go way up. People seem more into him once they know he’s down with switchin’ things up in the cannabis world.
As this whole drama plays out at the DEA, everyone wants them to pick up the pace on this weed review. VP Harris wants ’em movin’, callin’ out how wack it is that marijuana is still labeled like a hardcore drug next to heroin. Even though no one knows what those public comments will do or if there will be a hearing after, Ebeigbe says they’re down for full-on transparency and checkin’ out every single comment that comes their way.
Despite some haters in-house at the DEA who ain’t buyin’ into this rescheduling stuff just yet, pressure from all sides keeps comin’. Vet groups and law enforcement crews are keepin’ on ’em hard to get this done ASAP.
And hey, looks like Biden might actually get more love from voters if he sticks with his push for weed rescheduling – his approval ratings have been spikin’ since word got out about what he’s plannin’.
So yeah, things are heatin’ up at the DEA as they slog through this weed review under all kinds of pressure. VP Harris is pushin’, critics are loud and clear about how marijuana should be treated differently than hardcore drugs like heroin. But whatever happens next at the DEA is gonna have big consequences for drug policy and public health – so we’re all waitin’ for them to lay down their final verdict soon.
Yo, its bout time they startin to see the light on this weed stuff. Movin it down to Schedule 3 might help folks get the medicine they need without all that legal drama. Props to the DEA if they keep it real.