Sen. Mitt Romney, U.S. Senator for Utah | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Sen. Mitt Romney, U.S. Senator for Utah | Official U.S. Senate headshot
Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) has joined his colleagues, led by Senator James Lankford (R-OK), in addressing a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland. The letter criticizes the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposed rule to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
“We write to express our concerns with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Proposed Rule ‘Schedules of Controlled Substances: Rescheduling of Marijuana.’ The Proposed Rule would transfer marijuana from schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to schedule III of the CSA. The rule fails to provide adequate science and data to support moving marijuana to schedule III and should not have been signed or published,” wrote the senators.
The senators further stated, “It is clear that this Proposed Rule was not properly researched, circumvented DEA, and is merely responding to the popularity of marijuana and not the actual science. We urge you to withdraw this proposal and maintain marijuana as a schedule I drug.”
Additional signatories include Senators John Thune (R-SD), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Bill Hagerty (R-TN).
In their letter, the senators argued that state-level legalization should not influence federal scheduling decisions. They noted that DEA Administrator Milgram did not sign off on the proposed rule and emphasized that more data is needed regarding marijuana's appropriate scheduling.
The letter highlighted several studies pointing out potential health risks associated with marijuana use, including links to schizophrenia, psychosis, anxiety, cognitive failures, respiratory issues, cancer, cardiovascular outcomes, gastrointestinal disorders, sexual dysfunction in men, increased car crashes post-legalization, and worsened PTSD symptoms among veterans.
The senators criticized HHS for changing its test criteria for medical use determination from a five-part test to a two-part test without sufficient justification. They also questioned HHS's reliance on inconclusive scientific literature from a 2023 University of Florida review.
The letter concluded by urging Attorney General Garland to withdraw the proposed rule and keep marijuana classified as a Schedule I drug.
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