Biden finally moves to re-schedule marijuana?

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The Biden administration is working on a plan to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, people familiar with the matter said, a potentially historic move that could make it much easier to buy and sell pot and make the multibillion-dollar industry more profitable.

Justice Department officials plan to submit a proposal for White House review that would move marijuana out of the government’s most restrictive drug classification, the people said. Marijuana has been designated as a Schedule I drug since 1970, alongside LSD and heroin.

A proposal might not be made public for weeks, and it couldn’t immediately be determined how much the Biden administration would seek to relax restrictions. The rule would need to work its way through the government’s regulatory-approval process, something that could take months.

Biden allies hope the move will shore up the president’s standing with younger voters, who have been particularly supportive of liberalizing marijuana policies. Biden needs their commanding support in November, as some polls show him trailing his Republican opponent, Donald Trump, and underperforming among adults under 30.

More than half of states have legalized marijuana for some purpose over the past decade, and many Democrats and some Republicans have taken a more tolerant view of its use. But the federal government still puts it in a category reserved for drugs that have a high potential for abuse with no offsetting accepted medical use.

Even if marijuana is no longer a Schedule I drug, pot would remain illegal under federal law without other changes by Congress. The Justice Department could still prosecute marijuana offenders, though it has taken a largely hands-off approach to industry in states where it has been legalized. Officials in recent years have also said they don’t view prosecuting federal marijuana crimes as the best use of their limited resources.

The Biden administration’s plan to change marijuana’s classification was first reported by the Associated Press.

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