--- title: DEA Chief Calls Medical Marijuana 'A Joke,' Spurring Protest description: Protestors point to scientific studies that show the medicinal benefits of marijuana on patients suffering from chronic pain canonical: https://time.com/4107603/dea-medical-marijuana-joke-2/ author: Eliana Dockterman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-11T01:09:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:57:12.564Z article:section: Health og:title: People Want DEA Chief to Resign for Calling Medical Marijuana 'A Joke' og:description: "Don't call it medicine — that is a joke," he said og:url: https://time.com/4107603/dea-medical-marijuana-joke-2/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta09e0bbc53daa690/6987ee135f570fd910b196c7/marijuana-leaf.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4264 og:image:height: 2399 og:image:alt: Marijuana leaf on a white background og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: People Want DEA Chief to Resign for Calling Medical Marijuana 'A Joke' twitter:description: "Don't call it medicine — that is a joke," he said twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta09e0bbc53daa690/6987ee135f570fd910b196c7/marijuana-leaf.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # People Want DEA Chief to Resign After He Called Medical Marijuana 'a Joke' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e0f2efe3-07d4-49bb-9b1c-715dd7fa8592&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e0f2efe3-07d4-49bb-9b1c-715dd7fa8592&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=e0f2efe3-07d4-49bb-9b1c-715dd7fa8592&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: A Snoop Dogg Brand Of Weed Was Pretty Much Inevitable [Watch (HLS stream): A Snoop Dogg Brand Of Weed Was Pretty Much Inevitable](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kzpZPGun.m3u8) (0:46)  _Published 2015-11-11. This is the guy who writes songs about pot, after all._  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Nov 11, 2015 1:09 AM UTC  Marijuana leaf on a white background Marijuana leaf on a white background Getty Images  by [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Correspondent Nov 11, 2015 1:09 AM UTC Medical marijuana patients want to see the DEA chief go up in smoke. After agency head Chuck Rosenberg called medical marijuana “a joke” during a Q&A with reporters last week, over 10,000 people have signed a petition on [change.org](http://change.org) demanding his resignation. “What really bothers me is the notion that marijuana is also medicinal because it’s not,” Rosenberg said, [according to](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dea-chief-says-smoking-marijuana-as-medicine-is-a-joke/) CBS. “We can have an intellectually honest debate about whether we should legalize something that is bad and dangerous, but don’t call it medicine — that is a joke.” “There are pieces of marijuana — extracts or constituents or component parts — that have great promise,” he said. “But if you talk about smoking the leaf of marijuana — which is what people are talking about when they talk about medicinal marijuana — it has never been shown to be safe or effective as a medicine.” Angry medical marijuana users have pointed to studies that have found the drug is effective at treating pain and muscle spasms. A [meta-analysis](http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2338251) of 79 medical marijuana studies that involved over 6,000 patients published in the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this year discovered “moderate-quality evidence to support the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of chronic pain and spasticity.” Many doctors have opted to prescribe marijuana over prescription painkillers that can be extremely addictive and deadly. In 2013, 16,000 people overdosed on painkillers, according to the CDC. Other studies have found that the availability of medical marijuana correlates with a reduction in pain killer abuse rates. But [some research](http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00053/full) has linked adolescent marijuana use to cognitive deficiencies, though it’s unclear whether the relationship is cause and effect. Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C. have legalized medical marijuana. It is still illegal under federal law. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4107603/dea-medical-marijuana-joke-2/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4107603/dea-medical-marijuana-joke-2/"},"headline":"People Want DEA Chief to Resign After He Called Medical Marijuana 'a Joke'","datePublished":"2015-11-11T01:09:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:57:12.564Z","description":"Protestors point to scientific studies that show the medicinal benefits of marijuana on patients suffering from chronic pain","url":"https://time.com/4107603/dea-medical-marijuana-joke-2/","keywords":["Drugs","Marijuana"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta09e0bbc53daa690/6987ee135f570fd910b196c7/marijuana-leaf.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta09e0bbc53daa690/6987ee135f570fd910b196c7/marijuana-leaf.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Marijuana leaf on a white background","caption":"Marijuana leaf on a white background","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/drugs/","name":"Drugs"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4107603/dea-medical-marijuana-joke-2/","name":"People Want DEA Chief to Resign After He Called Medical Marijuana 'a Joke'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"A Snoop Dogg Brand Of Weed Was Pretty Much Inevitable","description":"This is the guy who writes songs about pot, after all.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/kzpZPGun/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-11-11T21:29:21.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kzpZPGun.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4107603/dea-medical-marijuana-joke-2/","duration":"PT46S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4107603/dea-medical-marijuana-joke-2/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```