Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Send Letter to President Obama Calling for DEA Chief to be Fired
DEA Chief Chuck Rosenberg (photo source: Getty Images file).
Yesterday, U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer made comments on the House floor calling for DEA Chief Chuck Rosenberg to be fired for calling medical cannabis “a joke”, Now, Blumenauer has sent a letter to President Obama, signed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, asking him to replace Rosenberg.
“On November 4th, Chuck Rosenberg, Acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in comments widely covered by the press, called the notion of smoking medical marijuana “a joke””, the letter begins. “His statements are indicative of a throwback ideology rooted in the failed War on Drugs. They do not reflect the overwhelming body of testimonial evidence, reforms happening across the country at the state level and in Congress, or the opinion of the American people – and they certainly don’t reflect statements you’ve made or actions you’ve directed your agencies to take. Rather, these statements demonstrate Mr. Rosenberg is not the right person to lead the DEA.”
They continue by saying that Rosenberg’s comments “send a clear signal to the American people that the federal government isn’t listening to them. It erodes trust. Cavalier statements like these fly in the face of state policy and the experience of millions of patients. Over 75 percent of the public supports allowing for the use of medical marijuana if recommended by a physician and surveys have found that a majority of physicians also support legalizing medical marijuana.”
The letter, signed by Representatives Ted Lieu (D-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Sam Farr (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Jim McDermott (D-WA), ends by saying that; “Through his statements, Mr. Rosenberg has demonstrated he is not the right person to hold the job as head of the DEA and we urge you to find new leadership that can work to develop the right tools to properly rationalize our treatment of marijuana”.
A Change.org petition calling for Rosenberg to be fired, which had just over 80,000 when we reported on it four days ago, now has 100,000 signatures; each signature sends a letter to President Obama.
– TheJointBlog
Josh deveau
Ive said this before, i have 60+ year old parents whom both suffer from diffrent alligments, and the fact that they can use some marijuana over taking opioid painkillers means the world to me and them. We need to help ppl not punish.
frankielee
I’m not sure if we should be asking for a resignation or looking for a pike. He’d set a good example staring unflinchingly into the beltway.