A Democratic senator says it’s “extremely concerning the Trump administration continues to drag its feet” on a marijuana reform—including the pending cannabis rescheduling decision that the president said in August would be decided on within weeks.
By delaying action on the plan to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the administration is “perpetuating the injustices of the failed war on drugs,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) told Marijuana Moment on Friday.
“Whether it’s lowering prescription drug costs, protecting health care, or bringing our nation’s cannabis laws into the 21st century, Donald Trump’s presidency is one big broken promise,” he said. “I’ll continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to press the administration to get with the program and meet the overwhelming majority of American voters where they are on this issue.”
Reclassifying cannabis as a Schedule III drug wouldn’t federally legalize it, but it would recognize the medical value of marijuana, free up certain research barriers associated with Schedule I drugs and allow licensed cannabis businesses to take federal tax deductions they’ve been barred from under Internal Revenue Service code 280E.
Polls have shown bipartisan support for that policy change, but a majority of Americans also support ending prohibition altogether. Trump endorsed rescheduling—as well as cannabis industry banking access and a Florida legalization ballot initiative that fell short last year—but he hasn’t gotten behind federal legalization.
Trump’s latest comments on the timeline for rescheduling also lacked a clear signal that he intended to move forward with a Schedule III reclassification, even though he pledged to do so last year during his presidential campaign.
Read the full article at Marijuana Moment
