Rep. Steve Cohen Thinks the DEA Shouldn't Be Practicing Medicine

Federal Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee has introduced legislation intended to fundamentally alter how the United States classifies controlled substances. The Public Health and Research Reforms in Controlled Substances Act of 2026 seeks to shift decision-making power regarding drug scheduling from law enforcement agencies to health officials. The bill aims to deschedule marijuana, ease restrictions on research, and lower mandatory prison sentences for possession and sales offenses. Currently, federal officials have categorized drugs into legal groups for over fifty years. These determinations dictate who may manufacture, prescribe, or study specific compounds, as well as who faces incarceration for holding or trading them. Under existing rules established by the Controlled Substances Act, the Attorney General holds scheduling authority, typically exercised through the Drug Enforcement Administration. While the Department of Health and Human Services evaluates scientific and medical data, the Department of Justice stated in a 2024 legal opinion that the DEA makes the final legal judgment on whether a drug possesses a currently accepted medical use. The most restrictive category, Schedule I, contains substances deemed to have high abuse potential and no accepted medical utility. Critics argue this structure impedes research because authorities cite a lack of evidence for medical benefit to maintain strict controls. Cohen’s proposal transfers the assessment of medical usefulness and risk to the Department of Health and Human Services. The new framework would assign each controlled substance two distinct labels. A Roman numeral from I to IV would indicate risks related to misuse, substance use disorders, and public health threats. A separate letter from A to E would denote therapeutic value. This dual classification allows a substance to be marked as high-risk while simultaneously acknowledging significant medical benefits. For instance, fentanyl causes fatal respiratory depression yet remains an essential anesthetic and pain reliever. The legislation replaces the vague potential for abuse standard with a metric based on the likelihood of developing a substance use disorder. It explicitly excludes isolated or occasional nontherapeutic use from meeting this threshold. Officials would also need to consider if scheduling a substance threatens public health by driving users toward illicit markets or more dangerous alternatives. The bill requires evaluation of whether individuals use one substance to manage problems caused by another scheduled drug. These provisions could influence ongoing debates regarding kratom and its alkaloid 7-hydroxymitragynine, which some users report employing for pain relief or to reduce opioid consumption. An expert committee would review each substance and publish its findings and reasoning. Separately, an Estonian individual described as a junkie shared harrowing accounts of synthetic drugs affecting his body. His narratives captured national attention in Estonia, highlighting the rapid emergence of new chemical compounds in the market. The speed at which these substances flooded the marketplace made it difficult for even heavy users to keep pace with the changing landscape.