FOIA Lawsuit Seeks Marijuana Docs From Health Officials
- January 27, 2025
Sam Reisman, Law 360
A nonprofit that advocates for government transparency has filed a federal lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act seeking to push federal health regulators to release internal communications related to their recommendation to loosen restrictions on marijuana.
From PPT Director Michael Chamberlain: “After four years of favoritism, questions are being raised about the government’s reclassification and promotion of marijuana in tandem with its prohibitionist stance regarding tobacco and nicotine. Sadly, HHS is playing legal games with the information PPT has requested and that the public deserves to see. It is never a good thing when my organization or any like us have to file a lawsuit to obtain the legally requested and mandated FOIA documents from the government. HHS’s refusal to respond to simple FOIA requests on the reclassification of marijuana only raises more questions about the nature of the decision, the calculus behind it, and who truly benefits from these actions.”