This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Monday, August 15, 2016. I'm Caleb Brown.

The DEA has again refused to reschedule cannabis of plant that dozens of states have legalized for either medicinal or recreational

purposes, but the agency says it will allow for more research.

Adam Bates, policy analyst at the Cato Institute, says this may be the final word on the subject

from the Obama White House.

When the DEA issues a decision at reaffirming their previous position.

That comes from the White House, doesn't it?

I mean, implicitly it does.

Right, so technically this is coming from the DEA

in the attorney general's office,

but in practice, of of course this is the executive

branch of the US government and and if the president of the United States

told the DEA to reschedule or deschedule marijuana, they would comply with that request.

All right, so what has the DEA said?

There was a petition from two Democratic governors to reschedule marijuana to move it.

It's currently at Schedule 1, which is the most restricted drug

schedule in the Controlled Substances Act.

So it's on the same level as heroin and considered a more dangerous substance than drugs

like cocaine and methamphetamine.

So this request was to just take marijuana off of Schedule 1 and move it down to Schedule

2 where it can, are more research opportunities.

It's easier for a study and things like that to assess the medicinal value.

...