The head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says his agency has “communicated” the agency’s “position” on marijuana rescheduling to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and has continued to offer additional information to assist with the final determination. HHS for the first time confirmed that it had recommended moving cannabis from […]| Marijuana Moment
Rescheduling marijuana could set the country back “another 50 years” on the path to federal legalization, a Democratic lawmaker who leads the Congressional Cannabis Caucus says. At a National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) summit in Sacramento on Thursday, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) told Marijuana Moment that she’s “opposed” to moving marijuana from Schedule I to […]| Marijuana Moment
President Joe Biden stands to make significant political gains if marijuana is rescheduled under his administrative directive, according to a new survey that reveals majority support for the reform. It also found that marijuana enjoys greater favorability with voters compared to Biden and former President Donald Trump. The poll conducted by Lake Research Partners and […]| Marijuana Moment
The Biden administration is being pressed to reschedule marijuana by two coalitions representing military veterans and law enforcement—including a group that counts Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram among its members. In a pair of recent letters sent to DEA and President Joe Biden, Law Enforcement Leaders To Reduce Crime & Incarceration (LEL) and […]| Marijuana Moment
The Biden administration’s top health official is defending his department’s recommendation to reschedule marijuana against criticism from a Republican senator, noting that many states have “moved much farther than the federal government” on cannabis. At a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Thursday, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) pressed Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra […]| Marijuana Moment
Officials with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are reportedly resisting calls to reschedule marijuana, creating tension with the White House as President Joe Biden continues to tout his role in directing the cannabis review. That’s according to an article published by The Wall Street Journal on Saturday, with the report citing “people familiar with the […]| Marijuana Moment
The Justice Department has already started issuing pardon certificates for certain marijuana offenses covered under an expanded proclamation that President Joe Biden issued last month. Chris Goldstein, a cannabis activist who was arrested over possession of marijuana on federal land while protesting for reform in 2014, shared the certification he received from DOJ’s Office of […]| Marijuana Moment
“Though symbolically important, the president’s general pardon for simple marijuana possession and related offenses was destined to have a marginal impact.” By Erik Luna, Arizona State University & Weldon Angelos, The Weldon Project On October 6, 2022, President Joe Biden issued a historic general pardon for all previous crimes of simple marijuana possession in violation […]| Marijuana Moment
A coalition of 12 Democratic state attorneys general is urging the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to move forward with federal marijuana rescheduling, calling the policy change a “public safety imperative.” In a letter led by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) that was sent to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram on Friday, the top state law […]| Marijuana Moment
As the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) weighs a marijuana rescheduling recommendation from health officials, congressional researchers are laying out the limitations of the policy change— emphasizing that state cannabis markets would continue to run afoul of federal law, and existing criminal penalties for certain marijuana-related activity would remain in force. In a report published on […]| Marijuana Moment
The U.S. government has released hundreds of pages of documents related to its ongoing review of marijuana’s status under federal law, officially confirming for the first time that health officials have recommended the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) place cannabis in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The 252 pages of documents from the […]| Marijuana Moment