Biden Administration, Government To Reclassify Marijuana

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

According to the Associated Press, this would be a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have ripple effects across the nation.

Still having to be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, the proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis, acknowledging it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s more dangerous drugs. However, this would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use.

As confirmed by the AP, the agency’s move would clear the last significant regulatory hurdle right before the agency’s biggest policy change in more than half a century can take effect.

When the OMB signs off, the DEA would go on to take public comment on the plan to shift marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, which is alongside heroin and LSD, moving weed to Schedule III, right next to ketamine and other anabolic steroids, which follows a recommendation from the federal Health and Human Services Department. Following the public comment as well as the review by an administrative judge, the agency would go on to publish the final rule.

Then, the proposal would be formally signed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, whose agency oversees the DEA, according to the AP. Garland’s signature is symbiotic of the Justice Department being behind the move, appearing to signal its importance to the Biden administration.

This development follows President Joe Biden calling for a review of the federal marijuana law back in October of 2022, moving to pardon thousands of Americans convicted federally of simple possession of the drug. Biden has also called on government leaders such as governors and local leaders to take the initiative for similar steps in erasing weed convictions.

“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said in December. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

This 2024 election year announcement could sway younger folks who are voting Democrat, too.