Americans for Safe Access claimed partial victory over the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration when it announced the federal agency had removed “factually inaccurate information” and “damaging misinformation” regarding cannabis from its website.
The DEA removed information from its site that included “claims that cannabis was a gateway drug, caused irreversible cognitive decline in adults, and contributed to psychosis and lung cancer,” according to a news release Monday by ASA, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting medical cannabis.
The DEA made the change after ASA filed a legal challenge over the agency’s website last year under the Information Quality Act.
However, Americans for Safe Access claims the DEA is continuing to spread misinformation about marijuana, though the group did not offer specifics.
Correcting misinformation is paramount, the ASA argued, especially given that newly confirmed Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said he believes cannabis is a gateway drug and can cause long-term psychological damage to consumers.
“These beliefs are verifiably false,” ASA wrote in a letter delivered to the DEA on Monday. “Allowing Mr. Sessions to make law enforcement decisions based on biased, out-of-date information does a tremendous disservice to ASA’s members and the American people at large.”
