New DEA Chief Calls Medical Marijuana A “Joke”
Supporters of medical marijuana all across America have rallied together to demand the sacking of the new Drug Enforcement Administration chief after he called medical marijuana a ‘joke’. After the departure of Michele Leonhart, people within the cannabis movement believed there might be the potential for some progressive change. However Chuck Rosenberg’s comments indicate that there could be very little change in policy on a federal level.
“What really bothers me is the notion that marijuana is also medicinal — because it’s not,” Rosenberg told reporters, according to CBS News. “We can have an intellectually honest debate about whether we should legalize something that is bad and dangerous, but don’t call it medicine — that is a joke.”
The backlash to these comments was swift, on Friday more than 100,000 people had signed a petition calling for the president to fire the new chief for these inaccurate and insensitive comments. Rosenberg is in a tough position here as science backs up the views of the medical marijuana supporters, his comments have shown that he is totally out of his depth and that he does not belong in such an important role.
This petition was started by Marijuana Majority and their chairman released a statement saying “My mom uses medical marijuana to deal with the severe pain caused by multiple sclerosis, this issue is not a laughing matter for her and millions of other people who have seen the benefits of cannabis for themselves.”
The DEA’s war on cannabis rumbles on while opioid painkiller deaths skyrocket, if the DEA really cared about the safety of the general population then they would address this issue. Medical Marijuana is proven to treat chronic pain and could easily be used as a replacement for dangerous opioid painkillers. Cannabis also has the benefit of not causing a dependence within the patient, how can the DEA not see the lifesaving potential of this plant. Close to 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain and the DEA and American government have a moral obligation to allow them to treat themselves with their preferred medicine, without the threat of prosecution.
Chuck Rosenberg’s comments have highlighted one main issue, the fact that medical marijuana is not a joke as science shows, however he is a joke. With such close minded people working in positions of power at the DEA I doubt medical marijuana will make any real progression on the federal level. This backwards stance held back the current government threatens the general well being of citizens and heavily encroaches on liberty.
