DOJ Joins DEA in Pushing for Marijuana Reclassification
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Department of Justice (DOJ) joined the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) this week in pushing to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug.
The Details: The reclassification shifts marijuana from Schedule I, which includes drugs like heroin, ecstasy, and LSD, to Schedule III, along with substances like Tylenol, codeine, and ketamine. It would remove some regulatory barriers, but wouldn't decriminalize the drug.
For Context: In 2022, President Joe Biden pushed for the Department of Health and Human Services to review a possible reclassification. The department concluded in August that marijuana has certain medical benefits and sent its recommendation to the DEA. The reclassification push pairs with increasing public favorability towards marijuana legalization, with a Pew Research (Center bias) poll showing that 57% of U.S. adults support its use for medical and recreational purposes.
How the Media Covered It: HuffPost (Left bias) highlighted Biden's branding of the move as "monumental," while also focusing on voices who said it wasn't enough to "resolve the worst harms of the current system." A writer for libertarian magazine Reason (Lean Right) said the move would rightfully knock down "regulatory barriers to medical research" and add a "financial boon to state-licensed cannabis suppliers," but also said Biden’s promise that it would reverse “longstanding inequities” is “more than rescheduling can possibly deliver.” This summary was developed with the help of AllSides' AI technology.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
DOJ Proposes Rule To Reclassify Marijuana
The Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed Thursday its move to change the federal status of marijuana, proposing to reclassify it from Schedule I to Schedule III, ABC News reported.
The Biden administration filed a “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” with the Office of the Federal Register, seeking to reclassify marijuana, according to ABC. If sanctioned, this adjustment would reduce federal penalties associated with marijuana possession. The proposal is currently undergoing a 60-day public comment period. After this period, the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) may select an administrative law judge to assess...
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President Joe Biden’s administration said Thursday that the Justice Department is officially moving forward with reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug.
With the White House’s approval, the DOJ will now publish an official notice that opens a two-month public comment period on the proposal to recategorize marijuana from a Schedule I drug ― which includes heroin and other drugs considered to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse” ― to a lower Schedule III drug, which includes substances with “a moderate to low potential for physical...
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Cannabis stocks including Tilray (TLRY.O), Curaleaf (CURA.TO), and the AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF (YOLO.P), rallied on Thursday after the U.S. Department of Justice unveiled a historic proposal to ease restrictions on marijuana.
Under the proposal, cannabis would be reclassified from a so-called Schedule I drug, which are considered highly additive with no medical benefits, to a Schedule III, signifying it has moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.
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