A Democratic congressman says psychedelics are now “way ahead” of marijuana in terms of federal legislative momentum—and he’s criticizing former President Joe Biden for not doing enough to advance meaningful cannabis reform before the end of his term last month.
Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus, told Marijuana Moment in an interview at the Capitol on Wednesday that he agreed with the idea that psychedelics are increasingly taking precedent over cannabis—with bipartisan lawmakers continuing to advance reform to tap into the therapeutic potential of drugs such as MDMA and psilocybin.
Marijuana is another story. While the congressman has long advocated for ending cannabis prohibition, he pointed out that “we’ve been working on cannabis—what, thirty years?” without seeing substantive results.
And through the years, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been reluctant to prioritize research into cannabis. Yet VA has been seemingly eager to lead on psychedelics studies, with multiple clinical trials exploring their potential.
“We’re still not scoring” on marijuana, Correa said. “The PATH Caucus, through our efforts, we’ve got the VA now actually studying” psychedelics.
The congressman lamented the fact that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejected an application to approve MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder last year—despite his and other lawmakers vocal advocacy for approval.
“But the fact that they’re actually talking about it, debating it, tells me we’re way ahead with the psychedelics compared to cannabis,” he said.
Correa was also asked about his thoughts on the prospects of marijuana rescheduling, a process that was initiated under the Biden administration and currently sits in limbo as administrative hearings have been delayed. It’s been further complicated by the fact that new leadership at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has challenged the rescheduling effort, accusing DOJ of hijacking the process for politically motivated reasons.
“My man, if I could answer that question, I’d be making a lot of money,” Correa said of his predictions for rescheduling under the Trump administration.
“I was hoping that Biden, before he left, would work on this issue. He didn’t do it,” the congressman said. “So I would imagine the Trump administration is not looking at this as a priority issue. In other words, I think it’s gonna be problematic.”
Biden did initiate the cannabis scheduling review that led to a Schedule III reclassification recommendation and also issued pardons for people who’ve committed federal marijuana possession offenses. But to Correa’s point, he’s been widely criticized by advocates for not doing more during his tenure, leaving many federally incarcerated for non-violent cannabis crimes, for example.
“Let’s see how many DEA agents get asked to get fired,” he added, referencing the proposed gutting of various federal agencies by Trump and the newly instated Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Meanwhile, Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) separately told Marijuana Moment last week that it’s “definitely” time to have a talk with Trump’s pick for head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—to convince him that “marijuana is harmful” and that the way to make Americans healthy is by “limiting” its use.
The LCB contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.
GOP Congressman Says He’s Hopeful Marijuana Banking Will Get Across ‘Finish Line’ This Session Amid Debanking Debate
Image element courtesy of Kristie Gianopulos.
Read the full article here
