Biden announces cannabis rescheduling proposal, downgrading criminal penalties for marijuana
7 months, 1 week ago

Biden announces cannabis rescheduling proposal, downgrading criminal penalties for marijuana

Salon  

In a historic announcement Thursday, President Joe Biden said that his administration would move to formally reschedule cannabis under federal law. The White House's move comes less than three weeks after the Justice Department confirmed that the Drug Enforcement Agency would also reclassify cannabis. In a briefing following Biden's announcement, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the reclassification a "major step" that "will remove burdensome, long standing barriers to critical research" and aims to address racial injustices in cannabis-related persecutions. Already, the DEA has "signaled resistance," according to reporting by Marijuana Moment, highlighting sections of the proposed rule indicating the agency "believes 'additional information' could be collected via public comment or a possible administrative hearing could influence the final scheduling decision." Regardless, cannabis stocks surged on Thursday according to Barron's while Forbes reported numerous major marijuana corporations are already benefiting from the announcement.

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History of this topic

Trump plans to revoke many Biden policies. Where does that leave marijuana?
1 month, 1 week ago

Trump plans to revoke many Biden policies. Where does that leave marijuana?

NPR  

Trump plans to revoke many Biden policies. "We didn't see a lot of activity from President Trump, if any at all, on cannabis reform" in his first term, Culver says. "When Trump was president first time around, we had an attorney general that was absolutely -- I would consider him a prohibitionist," Culver says, referring to former Attorney General Jeff …

Trump signals support for reclassifying pot as a less dangerous drug, in line with Harris’ position
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Trump signals support for reclassifying pot as a less dangerous drug, in line with Harris’ position

Associated Press  

▶ Follow the AP’s live coverage and analysis as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris meet for their first debate. WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has signaled support for a potentially historic federal policy shift to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, putting his position in line with that of his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris. The commonality reflects a major shift …

A decision on a major policy shift on marijuana won’t come until after the presidential election
3 months, 3 weeks ago

A decision on a major policy shift on marijuana won’t come until after the presidential election

Associated Press  

Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election. While it’s possible it could precede the end of President Joe Biden’s term, issuing it before Inauguration Day “would be pretty expedited,” said cannabis lawyer Brian Vicente. Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, signaled support for a Florida legalization measure on Saturday, following earlier comments that he increasingly agrees …

To galvanize voters, the Biden Administration must reject half-step on marijuana reform
7 months ago

To galvanize voters, the Biden Administration must reject half-step on marijuana reform

Salon  

During the 2020 presidential campaign, then-candidate Joe Biden repeatedly pledged to decriminalize marijuana and automatically expunge marijuana records – identifying these issues as barriers to racial equity. But here’s the truth: rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III, as Biden’s DEA is proposing, would maintain federal criminalization. The CAOA would not only federally decriminalize marijuana and automatically expunge federal marijuana records but …

Top U.S. drug agency a notable holdout in Biden's push to loosen federal marijuana restrictions
7 months ago

Top U.S. drug agency a notable holdout in Biden's push to loosen federal marijuana restrictions

Hindustan Times  

In an isolated part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters known as the 12th-floor “bubble,” chief Anne Milgram made an unusual request of top deputies summoned in March for what she called the “Marijuana Meeting”: Nobody could take notes. Top U.S. drug agency a notable holdout in Biden's push to loosen federal marijuana restrictions Over the next half hour, …

Top US drug agency a notable holdout in Biden’s push to loosen federal marijuana restrictions
7 months ago

Top US drug agency a notable holdout in Biden’s push to loosen federal marijuana restrictions

Associated Press  

In an isolated part of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters known as the 12th-floor “bubble,” chief Anne Milgram made an unusual request of top deputies summoned in March for what she called the “Marijuana Meeting”: Nobody could take notes. “DEA has not yet made a determination as to its views of the appropriate schedule for marijuana,” reads a sentence …

Biden administration proposes to reclassify marijuana as low risk drug
7 months, 1 week ago

Biden administration proposes to reclassify marijuana as low risk drug

Firstpost  

Marijuana has been classified since 1970 as a so-called Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act – the same level as heroin, ecstasy and LSD. That classification means it is deemed to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse US President Joe Biden’s administration formally proposed on Thursday reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, …

Justice Department formally moves to reclassify marijuana
7 months, 1 week ago

Justice Department formally moves to reclassify marijuana

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Thursday formally moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift in generations of U.S. drug policy. You have my word on it.” AP AUDIO: Justice Department formally moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug in historic shift AP correspondent Jackie Quinn reports the government effort to reclassify marijuana …

Justice Department formally moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug
7 months, 1 week ago

Justice Department formally moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug

LA Times  

Marijuana plants for sale at a dispensary in Portland, Ore. A proposed rule sent to the Federal Register recognizes the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledges it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday formally moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, marking a historic shift …

Editorial: Biden’s plan to reschedule marijuana may finally end ‘Reefer Madness’
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Editorial: Biden’s plan to reschedule marijuana may finally end ‘Reefer Madness’

LA Times  

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency plans to reclassify marijuana from the most restrictive category — Schedule I, up there with heroin — down to Schedule III, in the company of testosterone and Tylenol with codeine. It’s ridiculous that we lack the answers, especially considering that 24 states plus the District of Columbia have made marijuana legal for adult recreational use …

Editorial: Reclassifying marijuana is not decriminalization, but is a welcome step in that direction
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Editorial: Reclassifying marijuana is not decriminalization, but is a welcome step in that direction

LA Times  

The news Tuesday that the Justice Department plans to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug is most welcome. Moving the substance from Schedule I, for the most dangerous and abused drugs, to Schedule III as the DOJ proposes, wouldn’t go that far, but it would be a meaningful step in the right direction. Americans have scoffed at marijuana prohibitions …

US to reclassify marijuana as less dangerous drug in historic shift
7 months, 3 weeks ago

US to reclassify marijuana as less dangerous drug in historic shift

Al Jazeera  

Shares of cannabis companies surge as much as 80 percent after move to classify drug as schedule three substance. The United States has moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug in a historic shift that sent shares in cannabis firms soaring. The US Justice Department’s recommendation on Tuesday that cannabis be classified as a schedule three drug – …

Biden’s historic marijuana shift is his latest election year move for young voters
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Biden’s historic marijuana shift is his latest election year move for young voters

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — President Joe Biden may eventually ban TikTok, but he’s moving to give something back to the young people who dominate the popular social media app — a looser federal grip on marijuana. Facing softening support from a left-leaning voting group that will be crucial to his reelection hopes in November, Biden has made a number of election year …

What marijuana reclassification means for the U.S.
7 months, 3 weeks ago

What marijuana reclassification means for the U.S.

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. No changes are expected to the medical marijuana programs now licensed in 38 states or the legal recreational cannabis markets in 23 states, but it’s unlikely they would meet the federal production, record-keeping, prescribing and other requirements for Schedule III drugs. “Put simple, …

DEA Moving Toward Recategorizing Marijuana As A Lower-Schedule Drug: Reports
7 months, 3 weeks ago

DEA Moving Toward Recategorizing Marijuana As A Lower-Schedule Drug: Reports

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward removing marijuana from its list of Schedule I drugs, finally heeding calls from activists to stop conflating the widely used substance with the dangers of drugs that actually kill people, The Associated Press and The New York Times reported Tuesday. Despite being legalized for recreational use in 24 U.S. …

US poised to ease restrictions on marijuana in historic shift, but it’ll remain controlled substance
7 months, 3 weeks ago

US poised to ease restrictions on marijuana in historic shift, but it’ll remain controlled substance

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country. “Today, the Attorney General circulated a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III,” Justice Department director of …

U.S. drug control agency will move to reclassify marijuana in a historic shift
7 months, 3 weeks ago

U.S. drug control agency will move to reclassify marijuana in a historic shift

LA Times  

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than other drugs. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country. “Right now, the …

Biden, at risk with young voters, is racing to shift marijuana policy
8 months, 4 weeks ago

Biden, at risk with young voters, is racing to shift marijuana policy

LA Times  

A Biden campaign aide said marijuana policy is one of a number of issues the campaign believes will motivate young people. Vice President Kamala Harris looked up from prepared remarks in the White House’s ornate Roosevelt Room this month to make sure the reporters there could hear her clearly: “Nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed.” Harris’ …

Vice president criticizes federal cannabis restrictions during White House weed event
9 months, 1 week ago

Vice president criticizes federal cannabis restrictions during White House weed event

Politico  

Vice President Kamala Harris called the current classification of marijuana under federal law “absurd” during a White House event on Friday, and said she is looking forward to seeing what the Drug Enforcement Administration decides about moving it to a different category. “I’m sure DEA is working as quickly as possible and will continue to do so, and we look …

Granderson: Marijuana isn't fueling cartels. U.S. laws drive the violence
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Granderson: Marijuana isn't fueling cartels. U.S. laws drive the violence

LA Times  

Police found six people shot to death last week near U.S. Highway 395 — roughly 50 miles outside of Los Angeles. The 1969 stoner film “Easy Rider” may have been characterized as “counterculture,” given only 12% of Americans thought pot should be legal at the time, but in hindsight that picture of recreational drug use in America wasn’t “counter” as …

Senate Democrats Urge Biden To Deschedule Marijuana Entirely
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Senate Democrats Urge Biden To Deschedule Marijuana Entirely

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING A group of 12 Senate Democrats on Monday urged the Biden administration to remove marijuana from the list of harmful drugs outlawed by the federal government, arguing that simply reclassifying it as less dangerous would be insufficient. In the letter, addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Drug Enforcement Agency Administrator Anne Milgram, the senators said a …

Marijuana may become a Schedule 3 drug. Here’s what the reform would actually mean for the cannabis industry.
1 year, 3 months ago

Marijuana may become a Schedule 3 drug. Here’s what the reform would actually mean for the cannabis industry.

Slate  

Last month, news broke that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services wants to legalize weed—kind of. On Aug. 30, Bloomberg reported that the agency formally recommended that the federal government downgrade the drug from a “Schedule 1” substance—where it has sat for decades alongside LSD and heroin—to the much less severe “Schedule 3.” If its proposal goes through, …

Rescheduling marijuana is the wrong approach. It should be descheduled entirely
1 year, 3 months ago

Rescheduling marijuana is the wrong approach. It should be descheduled entirely

Salon  

The global cannabis industry, regulators and activists are abuzz with what Politico is referring to as "potentially the biggest change in federal drug policy in decades:" Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has recommended to Attorney General Merrick Garland and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that cannabis be recategorized as a Schedule III controlled substance. But this …

US regulators might change how they classify marijuana. Here’s what that would mean
1 year, 3 months ago

US regulators might change how they classify marijuana. Here’s what that would mean

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — The news lit up the world of weed: U.S. health regulators are suggesting that the federal government loosen restrictions on marijuana. Specifically, the federal Health and Human Services Department has recommended taking marijuana out of a category of drugs deemed to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” The agency advised moving …

US regulators might change how they classify marijuana. Here's what that would mean
1 year, 3 months ago

US regulators might change how they classify marijuana. Here's what that would mean

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Specifically, the federal Health and Human Services Department has …

Marijuana recommendation by US health agency hailed as first step to easing weed restrictions
1 year, 3 months ago

Marijuana recommendation by US health agency hailed as first step to easing weed restrictions

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has delivered a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration on marijuana policy, and Senate leaders hailed it Wednesday as a first step toward easing federal restrictions on the drug. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Wednesday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that the agency has responded to President …

Biden health agency recommends classifying marijuana as lower-risk, opening potential for major policy changes
1 year, 3 months ago

Biden health agency recommends classifying marijuana as lower-risk, opening potential for major policy changes

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The …

HHS Reportedly Calls On DEA To Reclassify Marijuana As Less Dangerous Drug
1 year, 3 months ago

HHS Reportedly Calls On DEA To Reclassify Marijuana As Less Dangerous Drug

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING -The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recommended easing restrictions on marijuana, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing a letter. In the letter addressed to the Drug Enforcement Agency administrator Anne Milgram, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine asked for marijuana to be reclassified as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act, …

Senators hail federal recommendation to ease restrictions on marijuana
1 year, 3 months ago

Senators hail federal recommendation to ease restrictions on marijuana

LA Times  

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra speaks Aug. 1 at the State Department in Washington. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said Wednesday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that his agency has responded to President Biden’s request “to provide a scheduling recommendation for marijuana to the DEA.” “We’ve worked to ensure that a scientific evaluation be completed and …

Biden’s Focus on Marijuana Is Part of the Problem
54 years, 11 months ago

Biden’s Focus on Marijuana Is Part of the Problem

Slate  

This story was produced in partnership with the Garrison Project, an independent, nonpartisan organization addressing the crisis of mass incarceration and policing. He pledged to pardon everyone convicted in federal or Washington, DC courts of simple marijuana possession; encouraged governors to do the same for those convicted in state courts; and he promised he would ask his Secretary of Health …

Biden wants to review marijuana’s schedule 1 status. That could help researchers.
2 years, 2 months ago

Biden wants to review marijuana’s schedule 1 status. That could help researchers.

Slate  

On Thursday, President Joe Biden made three pretty surprising statements regarding marijuana reform. “We then have to show the DEA that we’re going to store this incredibly dangerous product in a very safe way,” says Margaret Haney, the director of Columbia University’s Cannabis Research Laboratory. “This leaves us with a society in which we’re not getting the key answer to …

Biden pardons thousands convicted of marijuana possession
2 years, 2 months ago

Biden pardons thousands convicted of marijuana possession

Al Jazeera  

US president’s move comes amid efforts to legalise marijuana federally after recent success of state-level campaigns. US President Joe Biden has announced a sweeping pardon for thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession under federal laws, penalties that have disproportionately affected Black and other people of colour across the United States. “There are thousands of people who have prior federal …

Biden pardons thousands convicted on federal marijuana possession charges
2 years, 2 months ago

Biden pardons thousands convicted on federal marijuana possession charges

LA Times  

Along with Thursday’s pardons, President Biden is calling for a review of cannabis’ classification as a Schedule I drug. President Biden on Thursday pardoned all individuals convicted on federal charges of simple marijuana possession, a move that the White House estimated would affect more than 6,500 people nationwide. — President Biden October 6, 2022 “It’s legal in many states, and …

US House votes to decriminalise cannabis at the federal level
4 years ago

US House votes to decriminalise cannabis at the federal level

Al Jazeera  

The bill would expunge federal cannabis convictions, but it is unlikely to advance in the current US Senate. The United States House of Representatives voted on Friday to decriminalise cannabis at the federal level, but the legislation is not expected to advance further as long as the Senate remains in Republican hands. The House bill passed on Friday would allow …

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