Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
A bipartisan group of congressmen have asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to explain why the Justice Department is dragging its feet more than a year after promising to eliminate barriers preventing researchers from studying marijuana’s potential medical benefits.
The congressmen voiced their concerns Wednesday in a letter to Mr. Sessions after The Washington Post reported earlier this month that the Drug Enforcement Administration has neither approved not denied dozens of applications filed in the past year by researchers seeking special approval to study marijuana, a Schedule 1 plant outlawed under federal law but legalized in one form or another in 29 states and counting.
“The Post claims this is because the Justice Department will not give the ‘sign-off to move forward’ on processing these applications,” the lawmakers wrote. “Quite simply, we would like to know whether this is true, and, if so, we would like to know the rationale for this decision.”
The DEA agreed last August to start accepting applications to grow cannabis for medical and scientific research purposes, the congressmen noted, but have failed so far to issue a single license, The Post reported.
“The purpose of our letter is threefold: first, we wish to establish the veracity of this article’s claims,” wrote the lawmakers. “Second, if the article’s claims are true, we would like to know the rationale behind the Department of Justice’s decision. Finally, we would like to encourage you to proceed with rapidity on the DEA’s permitting process, as we believe it is in keeping with President Trump’s campaign promises, and the best interests of the American people.
“It is worrisome to think that the Department of Justice, the cornerstone of American civil society, would limit new and potentially groundbreaking research simply because it does not want to follow a rule,” they added.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Congressmen push Jeff Sessions on stalled medical marijuana research - Washington Times
Author: Andrew Blake
Contact: Contact Us - Washington Times
Photo Credit: Jonathan Wiggs
Website: Washington Times - Politics, Breaking News, US and World News
The congressmen voiced their concerns Wednesday in a letter to Mr. Sessions after The Washington Post reported earlier this month that the Drug Enforcement Administration has neither approved not denied dozens of applications filed in the past year by researchers seeking special approval to study marijuana, a Schedule 1 plant outlawed under federal law but legalized in one form or another in 29 states and counting.
“The Post claims this is because the Justice Department will not give the ‘sign-off to move forward’ on processing these applications,” the lawmakers wrote. “Quite simply, we would like to know whether this is true, and, if so, we would like to know the rationale for this decision.”
The DEA agreed last August to start accepting applications to grow cannabis for medical and scientific research purposes, the congressmen noted, but have failed so far to issue a single license, The Post reported.
“The purpose of our letter is threefold: first, we wish to establish the veracity of this article’s claims,” wrote the lawmakers. “Second, if the article’s claims are true, we would like to know the rationale behind the Department of Justice’s decision. Finally, we would like to encourage you to proceed with rapidity on the DEA’s permitting process, as we believe it is in keeping with President Trump’s campaign promises, and the best interests of the American people.
“It is worrisome to think that the Department of Justice, the cornerstone of American civil society, would limit new and potentially groundbreaking research simply because it does not want to follow a rule,” they added.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Congressmen push Jeff Sessions on stalled medical marijuana research - Washington Times
Author: Andrew Blake
Contact: Contact Us - Washington Times
Photo Credit: Jonathan Wiggs
Website: Washington Times - Politics, Breaking News, US and World News
