Biden endorses cannabis reclassification, slamming ‘failed approach’
The US Justice Department has officially moved to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous substance, marking the nation’s most significant drug reform in over five decades.
President Joe Biden praised the move as “an important step toward reversing longstanding inequities.”
This shift is notable for Biden, who three decades ago authored a stringent crime bill that is now politically divisive.
The reclassification could bolster Biden, a Democrat, by strengthening support among younger voters during an election year.
However, Thursday’s plan does not fully legalize marijuana for recreational use, as it is in 24 US states and the District of Columbia. Additionally, 38 states have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes.
“Far too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana,” Biden stated on Thursday on X, formerly Twitter, departing from his usual reticence on cannabis policy.
“I’m committed to righting those historic wrongs. You have my word.”
The administration’s proposal would shift cannabis from a Schedule I controlled substance, its most restrictive category, to Schedule III.
This change means the federal government would no longer equate cannabis with other dangerous and habit-forming substances like ecstasy, heroin, and LSD.
Drugs in the Schedule III category are considered to have a low or moderate risk of abuse and include substances like anabolic steroids, ketamine, and testosterone.
Cannabis has been classified as a Schedule I substance by the federal government since Congress enacted the Controlled Substances Act in 1970.
Rescheduling could likely stimulate the legal cannabis industry by facilitating easier access to traditional banking services and external investments.
The move could also provide a crucial boost to Biden as he seeks to rally young and minority voters for his re-election campaign, particularly amid anger over the war in Gaza.
As a senator, Biden authored a 1994 crime bill often blamed for mass incarceration, particularly of black individuals, over drug offenses.
During his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden promised to decriminalize cannabis use and asserted that no one should be imprisoned for simple possession or small-scale use.
But he continues to oppose full-scale legalization. His administration has instead granted two rounds of mass pardons for people with federal cannabis possession convictions.
“No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,” he wrote on X on Thursday, nodding to his previous actions.
“Right now, marijuana has a higher-level classification than fentanyl and methamphetamine – the two drugs driving America’s overdose epidemic,” he added. “That just doesn’t add up.”
Thursday’s formal rule proposal to the federal register kicks off a lengthy approval process, beginning with a 60-day public comment period, before the change can take effect.
