For years, removing marijuana from the highest tier of controlled substances has been a standard Democratic Party talking point.
As presented, the logic is simple: Marijuana is vastly safer than other Schedule I drugs, which include heroin and LSD. Medical cannabis is now legal in 40 states. Recreational marijuana is legal in 24. Downgrading the drug’s classification to Schedule III, per the recent assessment of seven Democratic senators, is a commonsense move that “presents significant benefits to public health, research, business, and Americans harmed by the lasting effects of our punitive drug policies.”
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But in an odd twist of foot-dragging, regulatory delays, and fate, it is President Trump, not Democrats, who will soon make a final decision on whether to move cannabis to a less restrictive tier alongside medications like buprenorphine or acetaminophen with codeine. During a White House briefing last month, Trump said his administration was “looking at” an ongoing effort to reschedule marijuana and that he expected a decision “within a few weeks.”