Oregon's Senators Decry DEA Refusal to Take Cannabis Off Schedule I Drug List

Sen. Ron Wyden says the agency is keeping marijuana laws "behind the times."

U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Oregon Democrats, sharply criticized a DEA decision announced today to keep marijuana a Schedule I controlled substance.

"The DEA's decision flies in the face of choices made freely by voters in Oregon and many other states about the legality of marijuana," Wyden said in a statement. "The bottom line is the DEA is keeping federal law behind the times."

Merkley was even more scathing, accusing the DEA of throwing a wrench into Oregon's economy.

"The federal government shouldn't force Oregon's legal marijuana businesses to carry gym bags full of cash to pay their taxes, employees and bills," Merkley said.

U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, the Oregon congressional delegation's loudest voice for ending pot prohibition, released his outraged statement on Wednesdaybefore the official decision.

The DEA's decision, announced today, will keep marijuana on the same schedule as heroin, ecstasy, and LSD. Schedule I drugs are subject to the most restrictions when it comes to manufacturing, possession, and sale.

Marijuana's scheduling allows for severe penalties for cannabis users, such as a decision by U.S. Attorney for Oregon Billy Williams to press federal drug charges against Native American teenager Devontre Thomas for a gram of weed.

The DEA's move came as a denial of petitions by former Washington and Rhode Island governors Christine Gregoire and Lincoln Chafee to reschedule the drug. In a letter to current governors Jay Inslee and Gina Raimondo, Chuck Rosenberg, acting DEA administrator, gave the agency's rationale for its decision.

"[Marijuana] does not have a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States," Rosenberg wrote. "There is a lack of accepted safety for its use under medical supervision, and it has a high potential for abuse."

The decision comes as a disappointment to an increasing number of public officials—including Oregon's congressional delegation—call for the deregulation of weed. Oregon's two senators, along with six others, wrote a letter to the DEA in December calling for pot's rescheduling.

Nationwide polls show broad support for legalizing the drug, and legalization and decriminalization measures will be on eight state ballots in November, including California and Massachusetts.

Here's Wyden's full statement:

Here's Merkley's full statement:

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