{"id":74896,"date":"2024-05-02T05:36:52","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T13:36:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/05\/02\/marijuana-legalization-opponents-raise-money-for-potential-lawsuit-against-federal-rescheduling-move\/"},"modified":"2024-05-02T12:45:48","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T20:45:48","slug":"marijuana-legalization-opponents-raise-money-for-potential-lawsuit-against-federal-rescheduling-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/05\/02\/marijuana-legalization-opponents-raise-money-for-potential-lawsuit-against-federal-rescheduling-move\/","title":{"rendered":"Marijuana Legalization Opponents Raise Money For Potential Lawsuit Against Federal Rescheduling Move"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

A day after the Drug Enforcement Administration\u2019s (DEA) decision that marijuana will move to the less-restrictive Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act<\/a>, a leading cannabis prohibition group sent an email to supporters asking for money to fuel its fight against the reform.<\/p>\n

\u201cSAM will oppose this change at every level, including, if necessary, pursuing legal action,\u201d the group, Smart Approaches to Marijuana, wrote in the email on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

An included link to what SAM describes as a \u201cRescheduling Legal Defense Fund\u201d asks for one-time or monthly recurring donations of between $250 and $5,000, though supporters can also choose an \u201cother\u201d amount.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur new Rescheduling Legal Defense Fund will be used to support our challenges of marijuana laws and regulations, specifically marijuana\u2019s Schedule III recommendation,\u201d the donation page says.<\/p>\n

SAM, one of the most outspoken organizations against legalizing marijuana, then cited its representatives\u2019 multiple recent appearances in national news and print media.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s be clear: this does not mean marijuana is legalized\u2014it will remain federally illegal,\u201d SAM said in its fundraising email<\/a>. \u201cBut, if implemented, moving marijuana to Schedule III would give Big Marijuana billions in tax write-offs as well as continue the normalization of high-potency THC drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n

SAM did not immediately provide more details about the possible legal action in response to a query from Marijuana Moment.<\/p>\n

In the immediate aftermath of the rescheduling announcement on Tuesday, the organization warned that rescheduling \u201ccould have far-reaching consequences for public health and safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like many supporters cannabis reform, SAM\u2019s president, Kevin Sabet, also complained that the government\u2019s review process was opaque.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly when compelled by a legal challenge did they provide clarity on their decision,\u201d Sabet said, referencing the result of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by cannabis lawyers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He further accused the Biden administration of \u201cstarting with the decision and working backward to find the supporting materials.\u201d<\/p>\n

The White House, meanwhile, said on Wednesday that President Joe Biden directive to review marijuana\u2019s status\u2014which resulted in the rescheduling decision\u2014was part of the president\u2019s cannabis pledge he made to voters in the 2020 election<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s not forget that this is something that the president talked about during his campaign,\u201d White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. \u201cHe said no American who only possesses marijuana should go to jail. It is affecting communities across the country, including communities of color.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the rescheduling decision itself, Jean-Pierre was asked by reporters on Wednesday about the status of DOJ\u2019s proposed rule change and replied that the \u201cprocess continues\u201d\u2014but couldn\u2019t confirm that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has received the proposed rule yet.<\/p>\n

The Justice Department did confirm on Tuesday that Attorney General Merrick Garland has \u201ccirculated a proposal to reclassify marijuana,\u201d but it\u2019s procedurally unclear where the proposal currently sits.<\/p>\n

A DOJ spokesperson told Marijuana Moment on Wednesday that they don\u2019t have \u201cany additional information beyond the statement from yesterday.\u201d A White House staffer deferred to DOJ.<\/p>\n

The Justice Department has nevertheless confirmed that the review is now complete, meaning the next step should be a White House OMB review before publishing the proposed rule in the Federal Register. It\u2019s then expected to go through a public comment period and possible administrative hearing before being finalized.<\/p>\n

Though Biden did previously campaign on rescheduling marijuana, he also pledged to federally decriminalize the plant. But rescheduling, as is now in the works, would neither legalize nor decriminalize cannabis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The president has issued two proclamations granting mass marijuana pardons to people who\u2019ve committed federal possession offenses, but there are still thousands of people incarcerated in federal prison over cannabis-related convictions.<\/p>\n

The press secretary also said last month that\u00a0Biden has been \u201cvery, very clear\u201d about his support for decriminalizing marijuana<\/a>. Days earlier, Jean-Pierre reiterated that HHS made its rescheduling recommendation to DEA\u00a0based on a review that was \u201cguided by evidence [and] by science,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0which is \u201cwhat we believe here in this administration.\u201d<\/p>\n

In any case, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have also become\u00a0increasingly vocal about marijuana policy reform actions in the lead-up to the November election<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also on Wednesday, congressional lawmakers reintroduced legislation to legalize marijuana nationwide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SAM greeted the development by posting repeatedly on social media that \u201cMarijuana is STILL addictive!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

SHARE THIS NEWS:<\/p>\n

Marijuana is STILL addictive!
Marijuana is STILL addictive!
Marijuana is STILL addictive!
Marijuana is STILL addictive!
Marijuana is STILL addictive!
Marijuana is STILL addictive!
Marijuana is STILL addictive!
Marijuana is STILL addictive! https:\/\/t.co\/2gKEnqqXBV<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 SAM (@learnaboutsam) May 1, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Hemp Growers Would See Reduced Regulatory Barriers Under Senate Democrats\u2019 Farm Bill<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The post Marijuana Legalization Opponents Raise Money For Potential Lawsuit Against Federal Rescheduling Move<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Marijuana Legalization Opponents Raise Money For Potential Lawsuit Against Federal Rescheduling Move<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A day after the Drug Enforcement Administration\u2019s (DEA) decision that marijuana will move to the less-restrictive Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, a leading cannabis prohibition group sent an email to supporters asking for money to fuel its fight against the reform. \u201cSAM will oppose this change at everyContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74896"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74896"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74897,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74896\/revisions\/74897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}