Medical Marijuana Patients To DEA Chief: Pot Is No ‘Joke,’ And You Should Be Fired

WASHINGTON — Medical marijuana patients and advocates on Friday delivered a petition to Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, calling for the firing of DEA chief Chuck Rosenberg for his characterization that using the drug as medicine was “a joke.”

The petition, signed by more than 100,000 people, calls on President Barack Obama to oust Rosenberg and appoint a new DEA head “who will respect science, medicine, patients and voters.”

Tom Angell, chairman of Marijuana Majority, the marijuana advocacy group that started the petition, said that for his family and millions of others, the use of the plant for medical purposes is “no joke.”

“It’s simply unacceptable for the Obama administration’s top drug official to make comments that are contrary to what science and doctors say about medical marijuana,” Angell added. 

The mass support of the petition emphasizes a wider, national acceptance of marijuana’s legitimacy, one that runs contrary to the DEA’s stance on the matter.

While more than half of the country supports the legalization of marijuana, the DEA classifies the substance as a “Schedule I” drug in terms of danger under the Controlled Substances Act, along with the likes of LSD, ecstasy and heroin. 

The petition, which Marijuana Majority started two weeks ago, calls Rosenberg’s comments “highly offensive.”

Medical marijuana patients and supporters also spoke in front of the DEA about the ways using the drug medicinally has changed their lives.