{"id":4920,"date":"2022-10-26T04:20:57","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T11:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dispensaries.com\/blog\/?p=4920"},"modified":"2022-10-26T07:45:13","modified_gmt":"2022-10-26T14:45:13","slug":"president-biden-calls-for-review-of-marijuanas-schedule-i-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dispensaries.com\/blog\/president-biden-calls-for-review-of-marijuanas-schedule-i-status\/","title":{"rendered":"President Biden Calls For Review of Marijuana\u2019s Schedule I Status"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since the early 1970s, the U.S. government has officially considered marijuana as a Schedule I drug,<\/a> the top ranking for illegal drugs that also includes cocaine and heroin. But that could change very soon.<\/p>\n

President Joe Biden recently called for a review by his administration of marijuana\u2019s Schedule I status. He also directed the Department of Justice to fast-track a process that will result in pardoning thousands who have a federal marijuana possession charge on their record. These two announcements appear to make good on Biden\u2019s assertion during the presidential campaign that he didn\u2019t think people should go to jail for marijuana possession.<\/p>\n

While the pardon is significant, changing marijuana\u2019s Schedule I status has the potential to make a more significant, long-term impact on both the cannabis industry and consumers. A change from Schedule I status could impact laws at the state level, enforcement and possibly the willingness of banks to work with the cannabis industry. It may even impact the federal cannabis legalization effort.<\/a><\/p>\n

Why Is Marijuana a Schedule I Drug?<\/h2>\n

The history of marijuana\u2019s Schedule I status<\/a> traces back to 1970, when then-Attorney General John Mitchell advocated for placing cannabis on a newly created list of illegal drugs as part of the Federal Controlled Substance Act. Mitchell worked in the administration of President Richard Nixon, who included cannabis in a list of drugs that were causing an \u201cnational emergency\u201d in the United States.<\/p>\n

The schedule of illegal drugs created by the Nixon Administration included different tiers based on the potential danger from the drug. Schedule I is at the top of the list. According to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, Schedule I drugs contain \u201cno currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.\u201d Currently, it includes heroin, LSD, ecstasy, methaqualone, and peyote.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the efforts of Mitchell, Nixon and others in the early 1970S, it also contains cannabis.<\/p>\n

Moving Quickly on the Review<\/h3>\n

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra said shortly after Biden\u2019s announcement that the review of marijuana\u2019s Schedule I will get done as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe president was very clear \u2014 he wants this done as quickly as possible,\u201d Becerra said, according to the Florida Phoenix.<\/a> \u201cIt\u2019s not new science, but there’s a lot of information to gather because in many states marijuana has been legalized for either medical purposes or recreational purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently,19 states have legalized cannabis for recreational use, and 39 have legalized medical marijuana. On the November ballot, five more states will consider legalization of recreational cannabis: South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri, Maryland and Arkansas.<\/p>\n

Thousands Affected By Potential Pardon<\/h3>\n

As part of his announcement on policy changes involving cannabis, Biden also asked the Department of Justice to develop a process to pardon those with marijuana possession convictions.<\/p>\n

The White House estimates that Biden\u2019s pardon could impact about\u00a0 6,500 people and thousands more in Washington DC.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I often said during my campaign for president, no one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,\u201d Biden said<\/a> in prepared remarks. \u201cSending people to prison for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives and incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biden also urged all state governors to take the same steps in their jurisdiction. \u201cJust as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either,\u201d Biden said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Joe Biden wants pardons for those with federal marijuana possession charges and a review of cannabis\u2019s Schedule I status.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4924,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[652,679,1266,461],"yoast_head":"\nPresident Biden Calls For Review of Marijuana\u2019s Schedule I Status - Dispensaries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"President Joe Biden wants pardons for those with federal marijuana possession charges and a review of cannabis\u2019s Schedule I status.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dispensaries.com\/blog\/president-biden-calls-for-review-of-marijuanas-schedule-i-status\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"President Biden Calls For Review of Marijuana\u2019s Schedule I Status - 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