Last week, the DEA decided not to reschedule the classification of marijuana as a legal drug. According to federal drug codes, cannabis is still as deadly and addictive as heroin, with no known medical value. I was surprised to see how many articles were written about this decision without mentioning the obvious: This was going to happen. The DEA was just toying with us.

There were petitions that received enough signatures and then some senators wrote the DEA a letter, so the DEA had to give the matter “serious consideration.” But as long as the DEA is in charge of both writing the law and enforcing it, they’re going to keep things status quo, no matter what American taxpayers actually want.

There are all kinds of contradictions and misrepresentations about marijuana. Everyone says we need more research to determine the true medical value of marijuana, but that won’t happen within the U.S. for a number of reasons. In the first place, the DEA is in charge of approving scientific research studies! Now, the DEA isn’t an independent organization or a scientific organization — they are a law-enforcement organization — yet they are given the responsibility to be both judge and jury when it comes to what research studies can be done within the United States?

Click to read the full article on CNBC.