A momentous change in federal law to the benefit of the cannabis industry and medical marijuana patients is succumbing to the burdens of federal regulatory policies and procedures, political disenfranchisement and behind-the-scenes cultural influencers. What began in earnest to change the classification of cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug now looks threatened, if not endangered. So, what is derailing rescheduling, and why?
In late 2022, then-President Joe Biden tasked the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Attorney General to launch formal scientific reviews to determine if marijuana should be rescheduled and, in a historic first, HHS did recommend rescheduling. The nascent cannabis industry was absolutely giddy about the prospect of rescheduling.
On May 21, 2024, an official notice was published in the Federal Register that the Biden administration was recommending rescheduling. The public was encouraged to send comments on the recommendation and, in response, 43,000 comments from advocates and opponents alike were delivered to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), which had been tasked to conduct hearings and collect evidence on rescheduling cannabis. On the campaign trail, candidate Donald Trump indicated support for rescheduling cannabis. He also suggested that regulation of cannabis should stay — as it is primarily today — in the capable hands of state regulators.
Evidentiary witness hearings on comments made to the DEA were scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C., before a DEA administrative law judge (ALJ) in January 2025.
Read more at Phoenix Business Journal