Once OMB signs off, the DEA will take public comment on the plan to move marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. It moves pot to Schedule III, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids, following a recommendation from the federal Health and Human Services Department. After the public comment period and a review by an administrative judge, the agency would eventually publish the final rule.

A very good development for reducing mass incarceration, but:

  1. Listen Fat, this is too little too late to save the 2024 election, if it’ll have even gone into effect by then.
  2. How fucking incompetent are Democrats that they’re taking the clock down to zero on this obvious win that should have been a “first 100 days” item.
  • came_apart_at_Kmart [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    1 month ago

    However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use.

    boooooooring. typical LIB nothing burger.

    is it a step in the right direction? yes. in the same way that pulling your pants down and leaving your underwear on while you take a shit is “better than nothing”.

    can’t wait to see how this is framed by all the $500 haircuts and thinkpiece typers as the most powerful and earth shattering move for personal freedom since the emancipation.

    • 420blazeit69 [he/him]@hexbear.netOP
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      It’s more than a nothing burger, but you’re right that it’s far short of the obviously right policy.

      Most (all?) drug laws, even state ones, are based on how drugs are federally scheduled. Downgrading marijuana’s scheduling will have a real impact on what cases will stick, available penalties, etc.

  • RION [she/her]@hexbear.net
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    1 month ago

    Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD

    bro what is LSD doing up there?? lil bro thinks he’s on the team

  • abc [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    1 month ago

    Schedule III is still federally illegal to smoke recreationally so what will this actually do besides just make people get angry whenever their doctor refuses to prescribe medical marijuana because it is still de facto illegal in their state

    • SSJ2Marx@hexbear.net
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      Democrats and splitting the difference perfectly to piss off both sides, name a more iconic duo.

    • InevitableSwing [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      I imagine a few days ago…

      Aide 1: “We’re gonna do something on wacky tobaccy.”

      Aide 2: “Performative bullshit?”

      Aide 1: “Of course.”

      Aide 2: “Why?”

      Aide 1: “I just came back from briefing POTUS on the Tiktok focus group data.”

    • Des [she/her, they/them]@hexbear.net
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      might like truck drivers finally be allowed to smoke if such a thing as a federal MJ card comes into being

      but something like that will probably require another 5 years of political BS time wasting

    • SerLava [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      I’m not an expert but I’m pretty sure this means doctors can hand out prescriptions for not feelin’ too great. Basically legal with extra steps. And then I think this makes it literally possible to like, do the research legally needed to for regulators to push it even lower on the list without new laws being passed

    • 420blazeit69 [he/him]@hexbear.netOP
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      1 month ago

      It’s hard to tell what’s driving the timing on this news, beyond it not being a priority for Biden. The article mentions he called for a review of the drug scheduling scheme back in October '22, which suggests it’s not a response to Palestine.

      • UrsineApathy [none/use any]@hexbear.net
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        He recommended the HHS (overarching org of the FDA) reevaluate the schedule status of it back in October '22. The HHS took like a year to do their thing and then made a recommendation to the DEA to change it to schedule III. The rest of the time from them until now was the DEA also doing their own internal review.

        I feel like if the timing was political, they would have pushed this news out to late summer closer to the election. That’s not even considering the fact that a simple majority in Congress could have done the same damn thing without any of this beurocracy.

          • UrsineApathy [none/use any]@hexbear.net
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            1 month ago

            Not really though. Executive orders can easily be tied up and overturned in court. If Congress isn’t willing to sign legislation to reschedule it, there will absolutely be enough opposition to overturn any blanket order. He essentially did sign an executive order for this, but it was to order the HHS review and do it the slow way.

            • 420blazeit69 [he/him]@hexbear.netOP
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              Ok, so try. Do something and make them oppose it, don’t piddle around your entire time in office because maybe they will be able to effectively counter what you do.

              It’s easy to get caught in the weeds (so to speak) on how exactly to change things, but it’s clear that much more can be done. And the president has like 100 people on-call to handle the details folks like us aren’t sure of offhand.

              • UrsineApathy [none/use any]@hexbear.net
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                1 month ago

                I get the frustration, but in this case I think it’s a little unfair. Our archaic drugs laws are dictated by the Controlled Substances Act and the only two avenues to update the schedule status are a formal DEA review or an act of Congress. The latter clearly has no legitimate interest beyond political grandstanding so the other possible path to change was used. He took the most effective route in this case.

                The vast majority of our legislators are not there because they want to make the world a better place. They’re there to further their own self interests and most political dealings work on a quid pro quo arrangement. Forcing a DEA review cost almost nothing politically. The real problem is that this extremely popular action that was unnecessarily harming a lot of fucking people even required executive action at all instead of being addressed 30 years ago by actual legislation.

                • 420blazeit69 [he/him]@hexbear.netOP
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                  Some good info for the discussion:

                  https://mainelaw.maine.edu/faculty/can-the-president-reschedule-or-deschedule-marijuana/

                  We argue that this procedure gives the President—acting through the FDA and DEA—power to reschedule marijuana to a less restrictive schedule (as the Biden Administration is currently trying to do).

                  I think the question is whether Biden had to go through some lengthy process to coax the DEA to reschedule, or if he could have just ordered them to. Even supposing there’s a statutory requirement to go through some review process, he could have (1) set the process in motion on January 21, 2021, instead of waiting 22 months, and (2) applied political pressure to the agency to expedite the review. I agree this is the only route to rescheduling, but even assuming he couldn’t just order the DEA to do it, there was still a lot of meat left on the bone.

                  The real problem is that this extremely popular action that was unnecessarily harming a lot of fucking people even required executive action at all instead of being addressed 30 years ago by actual legislation.

                  100-com

        • VILenin [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          Weird how every democrat piece of progressive legislation just somehow mysteriously ends up perfectly timed to overlap into a Republican administration that will overturn it!

  • macerated_baby_presidents [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    Listen Fat, this is too little too late to save the 2024 election, if it’ll have even gone into effect by then.

    they’ll say “we need to elect Genocide Joe or Trump might stop the rescheduling process”

  • GVAGUY3 [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    stalin-smokin

    Wow Biden must be desperate. You do this shit in the early days of your presidency so you don’t appear desperate to voters.

  • Infamousblt [any]@hexbear.net
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    This is not enough to undo literal genocide but sure I will give the Biden admin credit if they actually succeed at doing this.

    I still won’t vote for the genocidal maniac though