Congress' Summer Fling With Marijuana: How Congress turned on the DEA and embraced weed.

For years, the DEA was a strong government run power that was rarely questioned as it created and enforced drug regulations. Congress was close with the DEA and after hearing for too long that marijuana is just as dangerous as heroin, marijuana bills were impossible to pass. Fast forward to 2015 when momentum behind marijuana reform has never been higher, and the DEA is taking big hits month after month. In only the past few months, the previous head of the DEA resigned after a nasty prostitution scandal, the senate passed a pro-marijuana bill for the first time ever, and the DEA's budget was cut by $23 million. Now with much of Congress backing pro-marijuana policy, the DEA is becoming smaller and less necessary. The war on drugs is coming to a close.

The looming cuts has the Justice Department issuing dire warnings: “If enacted, the House budget would cause DEA to experience a significant shortfall in their FY16 budget that would severely inhibit their ability to carry out their mission of stopping the manufacture and distribution of illicit drugs,” says Patrick Rodenbush, a spokesman for DOJ.