President Joe Biden has announced that his administration is officially moving to reschedule marijuana under federal law, applauding the \u201cmonumental\u201d action that follows an extensive administrative review that he directed.<\/p>\n
The Justice Department will soon post its proposed rule to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in the Federal Register, a senior administration official said on Thursday. There will then be a 60-day public comment period before the rule is potentially finalized.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is monumental,\u201d Biden said in a video announcing the rescheduling news. \u201cToday my administration took a major step to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug. It\u2019s an important move towards reversing longstanding inequities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s announcement builds on the work we\u2019ve already done to pardon a record number of federal offenses for simple possession of marijuana,\u201d he said. \u201cIt adds to the action we\u2019ve taken to lift barriers to housing, employment, small business loans, and so more for tens of thousands of Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nRight now, marijuana has a higher-level classification than fentanyl and methamphetamine \u2013 the two drugs driving America’s overdose epidemic.<\/p>\n
That just doesn’t add up.<\/p>\n
\u2014 President Biden (@POTUS) May 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\u201cLook folks no one should be in jail for merely using or possessing marijuana. Period,\u201d the president said, echoing a point he\u2019s made repeatedly in recent months. \u201cFar too many lives have been upended because of a failed approach to marijuana and I\u2019m committed to righting those wrongs. You have my word on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vice President Kamala Harris, who recently called for federal legalization in a closed-door meeting with marijuana pardon recipients<\/a>, said in a separate video on Thursday that, \u201ccurrently marijuana is classified on the same level as heroin and more dangerous than fentanyl.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are finally changing that. But I want to thank all of the advocates and everyone out there for helping to make this possible and we are on the road to getting it done,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\nPresident Biden and I vowed to address injustices in marijuana policy. <\/p>\n
Today, our Administration takes another major step forward. pic.twitter.com\/GxFOFeU0DU<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) May 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
The White House announcement comes about\u00a0two weeks after the Justice Department confirmed that the Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA] was moving to reclassify cannabis<\/a> as a Schedule III drug.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Biden has been clear: No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,\u201d an administration official said. \u201cSending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and have led to needless barriers to employment, housing, and education.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the Justice Department \u201cproposes rescheduling marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III,\u201d they said. \u201cMarijuana is currently classified higher than fentanyl and meth\u2014the drugs driving our Nation\u2019s overdose epidemic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shortly after the president\u2019s announcement, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre touted the rescheduling move at a press briefing.<\/p>\n
\nThe Biden-Harris Administration just took a major step to reclassify marijuana under federal law.<\/p>\n
If finalized by @TheJusticeDept<\/a>, marijuana will no longer hold the higher-level classification over fentanyl and methamphetamine, and this will remove barriers to critical research\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/Y1PLVN44bG<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\u201cAs President Biden said during his campaign, no one should be in jail for using or possessing marijuana,\u201d she said, calling the Schedule III move a \u201cmajor step.\u201d<\/p>\n
The reform \u201cwill remove burdensome, long standing barriers to critical research,\u201d Jean-Pierre said, adding that it \u201cbuilds on\u201d the mass marijuana pardons the president has issued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reality is while white, Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and brown people have been arrested, prosecuted and convicted at disproportionately higher rates,\u201d the press secretary said. \u201cThe president\u2019s actions today further his commitment to reverse longstanding injustices and to right historic wrongs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nThe public comment period that will soon open is expected to receive historic attention given widespread public support for broad legalization and competing perspectives about the appropriateness of a Schedule III designation.<\/p>\n
On the one hand, many advocates have welcomed the rescheduling determination, given that it represents the first time in over 50 years that the federal government has recognized the medical value and relatively low abuse potential of a plant that\u2019s been legalized in some form in the vast majority of states.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, activists have emphasized that rescheduling does not federally legalize marijuana or provide corrective relief to people who\u2019ve been criminalized over it. And, of course, prohibitionists have urged DEA to keep marijuana in Schedule I and are expected to litigate if the agency moves forward with the incremental reform.<\/p>\n
\nNo one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s announcement builds on the work we\u2019ve already done to pardon a record number of federal offenses for simple possession of marijuana.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m committed to writing those historic wrongs. You have my word.<\/p>\n
\u2014 President Biden (@POTUS) May 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram has also acknowledged the possibility of an administrative hearing to gain further input<\/a> on the decision before its finalized.<\/p>\n
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has also weighed in on the rescheduling development, saying in a report<\/a> that while it was \u201clikely\u201d that DEA would enact the policy change, that would not bring state markets into compliance with federal law. It added that\u00a0Congress still has the authority to address the federal-state cannabis policy gap \u201cbefore or after\u201d that reform is enacted.<\/p>\n
To that end, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and colleagues have reintroduced legislation to federally legalize cannabis<\/a>\u00a0and impose certain regulations. The bill\u2019s prospects are dubious in the current divided Congress, however.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the top Democrat in the U.S. House said that the Biden administration\u2019s move to reschedule marijuana is a \u201cstep in the right direction,\u201d but it should be followed up with congressional action such as passing the legalization bill<\/a>\u00a0Schumer filed.<\/p>\n
In a recent interview with Fox News, former DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson said it \u201cabsolutely looks like\u201d the agency will follow through<\/a> with moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the CSA.<\/p>\n
The White House previously declined to say whether President Joe Biden personally supported<\/a> the Justice Department\u2019s plan to reschedule marijuana following the review that he directed.<\/p>\n
Jean-Pierre has repeatedly avoided commenting directing on the administration\u2019s position on the specific rescheduling proposal ahead of Thursday\u2019s announcement. However, she said recently that the review the president directed is part of fulfilling the pledge he made to voters in the 2020 election<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Biden has issued two rounds of mass pardons for people who\u2019ve committed federal marijuana possession offenses. A Schedule III reclassification would not legalize cannabis or free people still incarcerated over cannabis.<\/p>\n
It should also be noted that, during his run for the presidency,\u00a0Biden pledged to move cannabis to Schedule II<\/a>\u2014a stricter category compared to what\u2019s been proposed by his administration.<\/p>\n
\nGerman Lawmakers Will Consider Changes To Marijuana Legalization Law Related To Social Clubs And Impaired Driving This Week<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
The post Biden Makes Historic Marijuana Rescheduling Announcement, Applauding \u2018Monumental\u2019 Move To Reverse \u2018Longstanding Inequities\u2019<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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