Cannabis Rescheduling Likely, Says Just-Retired US Global Narc
Cannabis Will Have To Be Rescheduled Soon Says Ex-Global Drug Cop from CannabisNet on Vimeo.
The federal government will likely reschedule cannabis once more states legalize the plant, says a former international narc according to a Marijuana Moment feature.
“Let the experiment advance. Consider its positive and negative effects,” says William Brownfield, who just last month was still the acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
His statements are surprising, considering he represented the United States in the global drug war for over six years. “Let’s see how many other states advance in this direction because we are a democracy and for the moment we do not have a consensus position. In California, the most populous state, they voted for legalization, but in Texas, the second most populous state, they have not even wanted to consider it. When the conclusions are drawn, it is likely that substances may be reclassified,” according to Brownfield.
Let’s keep in mind that even if Brownfield recognizes the possibility that the government will finally reschedule cannabis, which is currently a Schedule 1 drug, a category reserved for substances that are considered highly addictive and have zero medical value, he isn’t exactly supporting legalization.
“I am not a fan of legalization,” Brownfield told a Colombian newspaper El Tiempo. He did say though that he views legalization as an “experiment that allows us to observe and learn.” During the Bush administration, Brownfield was US ambassador to South American countries Colombia, Venezuela, and Chile.
He made headlines recently by proposing the US take a new stance against drugs under the Obama administration after Colorado and Washington legalized cannabis in 2014. Acknowledging that “things have changed”, Brownfield said: “How could I, a representative of the government of the United States of America, be intolerant of a government that permits any experimentation with legalization of marijuana if two of the 50 states of the United States of America have chosen to walk down that road?”
In his recent interview, Brownfield also condemned what Trump, his former boss, said about the role that Colombia had to play in the war on drugs. Trump made careless comments, threatening to “decertify” Colombia as the US’ partner in drug policy. Doing so would have serious penalties affecting trade and fiscal policies between the two countries. Brownfield said that decertifying Colombia would be “a fundamental error, counterproductive, false, and very stupid.” He added that it would also be “nonsense, an insult, an insult to the hundreds of Colombians who have given their lives” to the drug war.
Who has the power to reschedule cannabis?
There is light in the end of the tunnel, after all. Rescheduling cannabis is possible, but there are only a few agencies with the power to make such a change at the federal level.
Congressional legislation can help reschedule cannabis, as well as the US Attorney General, the DEA, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Naturally, so does the President of the United States. The process dictates that the DEA should first accept the petition, which we know is an obstacle in itself through past attempts to reschedule the drug. Next, the Health and Human Services Secretary needs to submit a “scientific and medical evaluation, and his recommendations, as to whether such drug or other substances should be so controlled or removed as a controlled substance.” The HHS Secretary can even reschedule drugs should they wish to do so.
What the American people think about prohibition
A new report by New Frontier Data, the American public continues to push for cannabis rescheduling. In the study conducted, more than 85% of those surveyed believe that cannabis has medicinal benefits, while only 12% think that cannabis users should be criminalized. However, the statistics still show that just a few people think that cannabis users are actually criminals and should be arrested for their consumption.
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