Sanders Decries DEA’s Decision To Leave Marijuana A Schedule 1 Drug

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and several prominent Democrats are criticizing the Obama Administration’s decision to keep marijuana classified as a Schedule 1 drug, which keeps it on the same level as heroin, despite the fact it’s now legal in several states and used for medicinal purposes in nearly half the country.

“People can argue about the pluses and minuses of marijuana, but everyone knows it’s not a killer drug like heroin,” Sanders tweeted after the Drug Enforcement Administration’s announcement.”The time is long overdue for us to remove the federal prohibition on marijuana”

Sanders added: “If we are serious about criminal justice reform, we must remove marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act.”

Marijuana laws have been relaxing around the country as acceptance of the drug has grown, leading to successful legalization efforts in five states, with more likely to come in the near future. In addition, 23 states have medical marijuana laws on the books, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, and 76 percent of doctors agree that it can be used as a medicine.

But the DEA sees things differently, and announced on Aug. 11 that marijuana will remain a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

While the DEA doesn’t acknowledge marijuana’s medicinal purposes or that it’s safer than alcohol – a common argument from pro-legalization groups – relaxing marijuana laws is one of the few issues Democrats are willing to publicly disagree with President Barack Obama on.

“The DEA should be spending its limited resources on targeting high priority narcotics rather than erecting roadblocks to medical marijuana,” Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California said in a statement, according to the Washington Post.

“The Drug Enforcement Administration’s decision to keep marijuana as a Schedule I drug is frustrating, unscientific and, frankly, out of touch,” said Democratic Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado, the first state to enact legal marijuana laws. “It is ridiculous to classify marijuana alongside other Schedule I drugs like heroin. This is further evidence that it is past time that Congress legalize and regulate marijuana like alcohol, using Colorado as an example.”

Sources: Bernie Sanders/Twitter (2), NORML, New England Journal of Medicine, Washington Post/ Photo Credit: Michael Vadon/Flickr