Blumenauer pressuring DOJ to legalize pot

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), a longtime marijuana advocate, is renewing his call for the Obama administration to legalize pot.

Marijuana should not be treated the same way as more dangerous drugs, like heroin and cocaine, Blumenauer wrote in a letter to new Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

“The federal government is woefully behind,” Blumenauer wrote.

While a growing number of states have legalized marijuana for medical and recreational use, the federal government still forbids pot.

Blumenauer is calling on the Justice Department to either loosen the restrictions on marijuana or completely remove it from a list of banned substances altogether.

His comments come after the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) acknowledged earlier this week that heroin is more dangerous than pot.

Blumenauer has previously issued numerous pieces of legislation that would legalize marijuana.