Biden Relaxes Marijuana Restrictions

Joe Biden announced plans on Thursday to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana to make it cheaper and more accessible.

Reclassification: The plan is to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule i drug to a Schedule iii drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

• A Schedule i drug is the severest classification, meaning it is considered to have no medical use and a high potential for abuse.
• Schedule iii drugs are considered to have medical benefits but some potential for abuse.

If marijuana is moved to a Schedule iii drug, it will be on the same classification as ketamine, anabolic steroids and testosterone. This will not legalize marijuana, but it will lessen the tax on legal cannabis companies and make it easier to research the drug.

Why? In a 2023 analysis, the Food and Drug Administration concluded that there is “some credible scientific support” that marijuana can be used as a medicine. Based on that analysis, the Department of Heath and Human Services recommended that marijuana be reclassified.

“It’s an important move toward reversing long-standing inequities,” Biden said in a video on X. “Look folks, no one should be in jail merely for using or possessing marijuana. Period.”

Enslaved: The United States prides itself on the principles of freedom and minimal government regulation. But the indiscriminate use of marijuana is anything but freeing.

To understand, read “Marijuana Legalization—What Are the Effects?”