Bipartisan Duo Seeks to Cut Lifeblood of DEA's Cannabis Eradication Program

image
Author: 420 Times
Published: 28 Sep, 2015
Updated: 18 Oct, 2022
1 min read

A pair of U.S. congressmen are seeking to cut off funding for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s "Domestic Cannabis Eradication / Suppression Program."

The program is funded through controversial asset forfeitures, where agents who suspect you’re in the drug business take your home and car without due process.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu of the L.A. area and Republican U.S. Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan have paired up for the "Stop Civil Asset Forfeiture Funding for Marijuana Suppression Act," which they recently introduced in the lower house.

The duo says the DEA spent $18 million on the program last year in order to arrest 6,310 people.

"As multiple states legalize marijuana across our nation, it is a huge waste of federal resources for the DEA to eradicate marijuana," said Lieu. "The federal government should focus its precious resources on other issues and let the states innovate in the cannabis field."

The bill would cut off the lifeblood of the program -- it’s funding. The legislation is supported by the Marijuana Policy Project and by the Drug Policy Alliance.

"Rep. Lieu has shown leadership on the cannabis eradication issue since championing an amendment earlier this year to slash funding to the program, and Rep. Amash is a tireless opponent of the type of wasteful spending that the DEA symbolizes," said Michael Collins, Policy Manager at Drug Policy Alliance’s Office of National Affairs.

Editor's note: This article originally published on The 420 Times, and has been modified slightly for publication on IVN.

Latest articles

An electric sign of the American flag.
ABC's Sara Haines Calls Out 'Narrow View' that Independent Voters Can't Exist in Trump Era
American journalist and co-host of ABC’s The View, Sara Haines, refutes the notion that people can't be independent-minded in their election choices in an era in which the Republican Party is controlled by Trump – a perspective voiced by her colleague, Sunny Houstin that Haines describes as “narrow.”...
06 Jun, 2025
-
3 min read
US map divided in blue and red with a white ballot box on top.
Could Maine Be the First State to Exit the National Popular Vote Compact?
On May 20, the Maine House of Representatives voted 76–71 to withdraw the state from the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC), reversing course just over a year after Maine became the 17th jurisdiction to join the agreement....
04 Jun, 2025
-
3 min read
New York City
Nine Democrats Face Off in NYC Mayoral Debate as Ranked Choice Voting, Cuomo Probe, and Independent Bid from Adams Reshape the Race
A crowded field of nine Democratic candidates will take the stage tonight, June 4, in the first official debate of the 2025 New York City mayoral primary. Held at NBC’s 30 Rock studios and co-sponsored by the city’s Campaign Finance Board, NBC 4 New York, Telemundo 47, and POLITICO New York, the debate comes at a pivotal moment in a race already shaped by political upheaval, criminal investigations, and the unique dynamics of ranked choice voting....
04 Jun, 2025
-
6 min read