Sen. Hoeven says Congress, not DEA, in charge of US marijuana policy

Who?Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND)LISTEN: Laslo & HoevenAsk a Pol asks:Any thoughts on the DEA — Drug Enforcement Administration — rescheduling cannabis on their own?Key Hoeven: “I think it's up to Congress to make any changes there, and obviously we haven’t,” Sen. John Hoeven exclusively told Ask a Pol. ICYMI — Ask a Pol exclusvies with entire US Senate Caught our ear per SAFER Banking: “What's holding the SAFE Banking Act is that Sen. Schumer wants to legalize marijuana across the board,” Hoeven told us. “That’s why it’s being held up.” Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND), slightly edited for clarity.ICYMI — Join Ask a Pol’s VIP subscriber-only chat!TRANSCRIPT: Sen. John HoevenSCENE: Sen. John Hoeven chats with Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo just off the Senate floor. Apologies, Laslo’s first question is off mic. Matt Laslo — off mic: What do you make of the Drug Enforcement Administration — or the DEA — moving to reschedule marijuana without Congress? John Hoeven: “No…”SUBSCRIBER-ONLY CONTENT**Student? Lost your gig? Hard times? Been there. Got you. No questions asked. Just ping us.JH: “…I don't think they should.”ML: “Yeah?” JH: “I mean, I think, it's up to Congress to make any changes there, and obviously we haven’t.”ML: “Yeah?” JH: “So no, I don't think they should be.”ML: “Have you looked at the SAFER Banking Act? For sales for cannabis.”JH: “What's holding the SAFE Banking Act is that Sen. Schumer wants to legalize marijuana across the board.”ML: “Yeah?” JH: “That's just not gonna happen. And that’s why it’s being held up.”ML: “And what do you think of Democrats’ calls for clemency for past marijuana convictions?”JH: “Again, I think if you commit a crime, then, y’know, you have to do the sentence.”ML: “Preciate you.”Andrey Beregovskiy and Walken Whalen contributed to this report.Content posted at AskaPol.com is copyrighted. Use our original content to move the story forward. And, please, link to us. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapoldrugs.com/subscribe