- Written by Sam Cabral
- BBC News, Washington
image source, Getty Images
The U.S. Department of Justice has officially moved to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous substance. This is the biggest drug reform for this country in over 50 years.
President Joe Biden praised the move as “an important move toward reversing years of inequality.”
This is a turning point for the politician who 30 years ago designed tough crime legislation that is now politically polarizing.
But it could help Democrat Biden shore up wavering support among younger voters in an election year.
Thursday's plan would not fully legalize recreational marijuana, as is currently the law in 24 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Thirty-eight states in the United States have also legalized marijuana for medical purposes.
“Too many lives have been upended because our approach to cannabis has failed,” Biden said on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, in a departure from his usual negative stance on cannabis policy. did.
“I am committed to righting a historic wrong. My commitment is here.”
The government's proposal would move pot from the most restrictive category, a Schedule I controlled substance, to Schedule III.
The federal government will no longer view this drug alongside other dangerous and habit-forming substances such as ecstasy, heroin, and LSD.
Drugs in the Schedule III category are considered to have a low or moderate risk of abuse. They include anabolic steroids, ketamine, and testosterone.
The federal government has maintained Schedule I classification for cannabis since Congress first enacted the Controlled Substances Act in 1970.
The schedule changes will allow for easier access to traditional banking services and outside investment, and will likely stimulate the legal cannabis industry.
The move could be a crucial boost for the president, who is struggling to rally young and minority voters in his bid for re-election, especially amid anger over the Gaza war.
As a senator, Biden authored the 1994 crime bill, which is often blamed for the disproportionate mass incarceration of Black people for drug crimes.
As a 2020 candidate, Biden promised to decriminalize marijuana use and said no one should be jailed for simple possession or minor use.
But he remains opposed to full legalization. Instead, his administration issued two rounds of mass pardons for people with federal marijuana possession convictions.
“No one should go to jail just for using or possessing marijuana,” he wrote on Thursday's X, a nod to previous actions.
“Marijuana is currently classified at a higher level than fentanyl and methamphetamine, the two drugs driving America's overdose epidemic,” he added. “That doesn't make any sense.”
Thursday's formal rule proposal to the Federal Register begins a lengthy approval process that begins with a 60-day public comment period before the changes go into effect.
