(Photo by Benjamin Strahs)

Cannabis has been in the same classification of drugs as cocaine and heroin for decades and, much to the chagrin of marijuana reform groups, the Drug Enforcement Administration has decided it is keeping it there.

The DEA said that there is “no substantial evidence” that the drug should be removed from Schedule 1 in a letter explaining their decision to deny petitions from two governors.

“At this time, the known risks of marijuana use have not been shown to be outweighed by specific benefits in well-controlled clinical trials that scientifically evaluate safety and efficacy,” writes DEA chief Chuck Rosenberg. He also cited an evaluation from the Department of Health and Human Services that it has a “high potential for abuse” and “no currently accepted medical use.”

The decision is a blow to D.C. marijuana activists who made reclassifying cannabis a recent focus.

In April, a group of protesters smoked pot en masse and paraded an inflatable joint emblazoned with the words “Obama, Deschedule Cannabis Now!” in front of the White House because as DCMJ co-founder Adam Eidinger put it, “the president has been a big zero on marijuana reform”.

A few days later, the DEA announced that it was considering just that.

Nearly half of the states, plus the District of Columbia and Guam, have passed laws to allow for some form of medical marijuana use. But the DEA says more scientifically controlled trials are necessary. To that end, they plan to make it easier for researchers to obtain medical marijuana by increasing the number of universities that can legally produce it (currently the University of Mississippi holds the only license).

But that is a far cry from what DCMJ—the group behind Initiative 71, which legalized cannabis in the District—and other activists are seeking. So they are heading to the White House tonight to let the president know—and they plan to do so loudly and off key.

“We will poorly sing ballads of reform,” the group says, promising ToneDeafKaraoke. “We will insult the ears of everyone at the White House like they are insulting every American that believes in rational drug policy.”

DCMJ adds: “We’ve heard rumors angry activists may even throw their cannabis plants plants, seeds, and even lit joints over the White House fence.”

Although originally planned for 4:20 p.m., they moved it back to 8:20 p.m. due to the “hot and humid airmass” currently suffocating the District.