OC Lawmaker Joins Call For White House To Soften Pot Policy
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com) — An Orange County Congressman was among over a dozen Washington lawmakers Wednesday to call on President Obama to reclassify marijuana as one of the nation's most dangerous drugs.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) and 17 other U.S. lawmakers signed off on the letter (PDF) dated Feb. 12 calling for Obama to instruct Attorney General Eric Holder to "delist or classify marijuana in a more appropriate way" from its current classification under the federal Controlled Substances Act.
According to the letter, marijuana is currently listed as a Schedule 1 drug along with heroin and LSD - a higher listing than Schedule II substances such as cocaine and methamphetamine.
"This makes no sense," the letter reads.
A Schedule 1 classification means the drug is recognized as having no medical use. A Schedule I or II classification also means that marijuana businesses in states where adult or medical use is allowed by law cannot deduct business expenses from their taxes or use certain tax credits, according to the letter.
Last April, Rohrabacher introduced House Resolution 1523, known as the "Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013," a bipartisan bill that would prevent the federal government from continuing to prosecute residents who are acting in accordance with their state's marijuana laws.
