DEA to Keep Marijuana in Same Class as Heroin Despite Majority of Americans Favoring Its Legal Use
Hillary Clinton Announces She Would Re-Classify Marijuana to Make It Available for Prescription Use
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced this week that it will not reschedule its classification of marijuana under the Controlled Substance Act, ThinkProgress reports, asserting that it will remain a Schedule I substance along with heroin, LSD and ecstasy.
“Schedule I drugs are considered the most dangerous class of drugs with a high potential for abuse and potentially severe psychological and/or physical dependence,†the DEA’s website reads. The announcement, which follows five years of deliberation, comes from DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg in response to a petition to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II substance. The reclassification would have allowed it to be made available for prescription purposes nationwide.
Decisions to reschedule a substance are mandated by the Controlled Substances Act in conjunction with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Rosenberg’s response reads that the FDA and the DEA make the determination based on a full review of relevant scientific and medical literature.
“The FDA drug approval process for evaluating potential medicines has worked effectively in this county for more than 50 years,†Rosenberg wrote. “It is a thorough, deliberate, and exacting process grounded in science, and properly so, because the safety of our citizens relies on it.â€
He further advised that the determination is consistent with the FDA’s scientific and medical evaluation, which is conducted by a scientific assessment team consisting of clinical pharmacologists, epidemiologists, toxicologists, physicians, chemists, statisticians and other scientists, as well as the legal standards set by the Controlled Substance Act.
The results of their studies, Rosenberg concludes, indicate that marijuana “does not have a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, [that] there is a lack of accepted safety for its use under medical supervision, and it has a high potential for abuse.â€
Despite the DEA’s refusal to reschedule the substance, many scientists and researchers cite the medical benefits of marijuana. “Dozens of scientists, myself included, have been engaged in [marijuana research] for decades,†Carl L. Hart writes via Scientific American. “That is how we know, for example, that the drug stimulates appetite in HIV-positive patients, which could be a lifesaver for someone suffering from AIDS wasting syndrome, and that marijuana is useful in the treatment of neuropathic pain, chronic pain, and spasticity due to multiple sclerosis.â€
Also seemingly in opposition of the DEA’s refusal, an October 2015 poll released by Gallup indicates that 58% of Americans favor the legal use of marijuana, the highest in Gallup’s then 46 years of posing the question:
This is echoed by the twenty-plus states, as well as Washington D.C., which have already passed laws allowing for the use of medical marijuana. Eight additional states will find marijuana policies on the ballot in November, with Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada considering full legalization. Arkansas and Florida will vote on medical marijuana use, while Montana considers a measure to restore its medical marijuana law.
The sentiment is further echoed by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. In a statement reported by The Denver Post, senior policy advisor to the Clinton campaign Maya Harris advised that Clinton believes “we should make it easier to study marijuana so that we can better understand its potential benefits, as well as its side effects… As president, Hillary will build on the important steps announced [by the DEA] by rescheduling marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II substance.â€
Marijuana was first classified as a Schedule I substance in 1970 by the Nixon administration. The first unsuccessful petition to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II substance was made two years later in 1972. The full letter from the DEA declining the most recent effort can be read here.
“If the scientific understanding about marijuana changes, and it could change,†Rosenburg concluded in his statement, “then the decision could change.â€
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The House Ethics Committee has reportedly announced that U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) is facing a review by the Office of Congressional Conduct.
The origin of the review was not been disclosed. Under committee rules, officials are prohibited from stating whether the matter constitutes a formal investigation or identifying its underlying cause. The Committee only stated that there is a “matter regarding Representative Nancy Mace.”
“The Committee notes that the mere fact of a referral or an extension, and the mandatory disclosure of such an extension and the name of the subject of the matter, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the Committee,” the Ethics Committee statement reads. It was posted to social media by congressional journalist Jamie Dupree.
The statement also says the committee will “announce its course of action in this matter on or before March 2, 2026.”
Congresswoman Mace is currently running for governor of South Carolina.
Earlier this month Mace warned that Republicans may lose control of the House, saying they have not “done enough” and could “do a lot more” to implement President Donald Trump’s agenda, The Hill reported.
Image via Shutterstock
A prominent Republican lawmaker is vowing to thwart any attempt by President Donald Trump to acquire Greenland through force or financial means.
Speaking from Copenhagen as part of a bipartisan delegation of U.S. congressional lawmakers, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), told reporters it is “an important message for the people of the Kingdom of Denmark to understand” that the United States has “three separate but equal branches” of government.
Reminding them that under the U.S. Constitution it is Congress that controls spending, Senator Murkowski, who has broken ranks and stood up to President Trump at times, said, “In Congress, we have tools at our disposal under our constitutional authority that speaks specifically to the power of the purse through appropriations.”
She noted also that “Congress has a role. Certainly, when it comes to spending authorities, the Congress has a role in basically helping to facilitate the message that comes from our constituents, to be reflected in whether it’s legislation or appropriations, or actions or measures, that can indicate, again, the will of the Congress.”
READ MORE: Trump Dangles Another Insurrection Act Threat for Minnesota
The “vast majority” of Americans do not support the acquisition of Greenland, Senator Murkowski added, noting that “some 75 percent will say we do not think that that is a good idea.”
“Greenland needs to be viewed as our ally, not as an asset,” Murkowski also told reporters.
Politico reported that U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) “also took part in the visit by House and Senate lawmakers,” and “said he would push ahead with legislation to curb Trump’s power to act unilaterally.”
He also denied President Trump’s claims that Greenland is necessary to be owned by the U.S. for national security reasons.
“Are there real, pressing threats to the security of Greenland from China and Russia?” Coons said. “No, not today.”
Sen. Murkowski: “When you ask the American people whether or not they think it is a good idea for the United States to acquire Greenland, the vast majority, some 75%, will say, we do not think that that is a good idea. This senator from Alaska does not think it is a good idea.” pic.twitter.com/zfitY31LyF
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) January 16, 2026
READ MORE: With Shutdown Looming and Crises Growing Trump Heads Off for Long Mar-a-Lago Weekend
Image via Reuters
Just one day after threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota, which would allow him to unleash domestic military forces onto American streets, President Donald Trump once again on Friday hinted he would do so while suggesting he may be “forced” to take action.
Trump targeted Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats, claiming they “don’t know what to do” after he deployed roughly 3,000 federal troops to the city.
“In Minnesota,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, “the Troublemakers, Agitators, and Insurrectionists are, in many cases, highly paid professionals.”
“The Governor and Mayor don’t know what to do, they have totally lost control, and our currently being rendered, USELESS! If, and when, I am forced to act, it will be solved, QUICKLY and EFFECTIVELY!”
The Guardian labeled Trump’s claims that protesters are paid as baseless.
Attorney Aaron Reichlin-Melnick wrote: “Note that the Trump admin hasn’t yet been able to produce evidence of a SINGLE ‘paid protestor.’ They’ve had total control of the FBI and the DOJ and ICE HSI and yet despite all of that, they can’t even find ONE person who they can accuse of being paid to protest.”
Separately, The Steady State, a group of over 365 former national security officials, while not referring to Trump’s remarks from Friday morning, noted that the Insurrection Act is “an extraordinary power meant for true emergencies, not a shield for unconstitutional policing. Using it to silence dissent or justify unlawful paramilitary activity at the hand of ICE undermines the rule of law.”
READ MORE: With Shutdown Looming and Crises Growing Trump Heads Off for Long Mar-a-Lago Weekend
Image via Reuters
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