Up in Smoke? California Lawmaker Wants to Defund DEA's Pot Eradication Program
A California lawmaker is pushing to get rid of the Drug Enforcement Administration's pot eradication program, arguing it's fiscally irresponsible to spend millions burning up marijuana plants at a time when several states are legalizing the drug.
Rep. Ted Lieu, a Democrat, proposed an amendment to a fiscal 2016 spending bill that would cut the DEA's $18 million budget for the program in half. It would redirect $9 million to fund programs that help children who are victims of domestic and sexual abuse.
“Next year, I will bring another amendment to eliminate the program completely,” Lieu said in a written statement.
He's pushing the measure as a growing number of states legalize the drug, for recreational or medical purposes. Even Washington, D.C., has approved legalization, though this has caused friction with the District's congressional overseers.
Yet marijuana remains illegal under federal law -- and while the Obama administration has not...
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