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A coalition of Democrats led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, John Fetterman, and Congresswoman Barbara Lee have called on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

In a letter, the lawmakers wrote, “We are now nearing eight months since the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III — and 18 months since President Biden directed HHS and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to begin the process of reviewing marijuana’s scheduling. It is time for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to act.”

This comes as the DEA continues to deliberate on the rescheduling of marijuana, which remains classified as a substance with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. 

In their letter, the lawmakers argued their position that the drug should not only be rescheduled but descheduled entirely. They wrote, “While we understand that the DEA may be navigating internal disagreement on this matter, it is critical that the agency swiftly correct marijuana’s misguided placement in Schedule I.”

Additional lawmakers signed onto the letter, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Kristen Gillibrand, Alex Padilla, Ron Wyden, John Hickenlooper, Bernie Sanders, and Cory Booker.