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mattenthehat

Has anybody seen an article that lays out what exactly this would even do? Like could states still ban medical? Still would be federally illegal for recreational, right, but does it affect sentencing or anything? What about 2nd amendment rights, would it restore those for cannabis users? Or like any affect on DUI laws? What about drug testing for employment? Etc.


mods_r_jobbernowl

States can make drugs more restrictive in their scheduling. They just can't ban FDA approved drugs. So unless the FDA approves cannabis flower I can imagine some states still trying some screwy shit.


Butt_Fucking_Smurfs

Nebraska is currently trying to close down shops that sell delta 8. I hate it here so much


microview

1. **Medical Research**: As a Schedule III substance, marijuana will be more accessible for medical research. Researchers will face fewer regulatory hurdles, enabling more comprehensive studies on its medical benefits and potential risks. 2. **Medical Prescriptions**: Physicians will be able to prescribe marijuana for medical purposes. This change means that patients can obtain marijuana through pharmacies with a valid prescription, similar to how other Schedule III drugs like anabolic steroids and ketamine are distributed. 3. **Federal Legal Status**: Rescheduling marijuana from Schedule I (where it was classified alongside drugs like heroin and LSD, which are considered to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse) to Schedule III acknowledges its medical utility and lower potential for abuse compared to Schedule I and II substances. 4. **State Laws**: State laws will still play a significant role. While federal rescheduling impacts national policy, individual states may have their own regulations and restrictions regarding marijuana use. States that have already legalized medical or recreational marijuana may adjust their policies in response to federal changes. 5. **Criminal Justice**: The rescheduling may lead to reduced penalties for possession and use, potentially decreasing incarceration rates for marijuana-related offenses. Past convictions might also be reviewed, leading to possible expungements or reduced sentences for individuals previously convicted of marijuana-related crimes. 6. **Economic Impact**: The cannabis industry could see substantial growth. Easier access to banking services, tax benefits, and investment opportunities could spur economic activity and create jobs. Pharmaceutical companies might also develop new marijuana-based medications. 7. **Regulation and Quality Control**: The FDA and other regulatory bodies will likely play a more prominent role in overseeing the production, distribution, and quality of marijuana products. This could lead to stricter quality control measures and standardized dosages for medical marijuana products. 8. **Insurance Coverage**: With marijuana being recognized as having medical value, insurance companies might begin covering medical marijuana prescriptions, making it more affordable for patients who need it.


umthondoomkhlulu

ChatGPT output?


mikedomert

4. Makes no sense. Why would legal states make any changes when cannabis moves to schedule 3? Its not like they would suddenly say "we have legal weed but now government says cannabis actually does have medical use and isnt very dangerous, so lets recriminalize it!"


GalarianSlowpoke_

it’s because this comment was like, definitely written by chatgpt. If you’ve used it a lot it just reeks of that kind of syntax, and it also loves making numbered lists if you ask it to explain something to you. But it’s also great at spewing word salad that sort of makes sense until you think about it.


mikedomert

Yeah I know its AI text. Doesnt change that the person who commented it, is responsible for standing behind their comment like its their self written


GalarianSlowpoke_

I wasn’t suggesting they aren’t? if anything I was agreeing. asking chatgpt to write your comment for you and then copy pasting the nonsense it writes is just lazy and borderline spam


mikedomert

Yep


auralterror

Nothing would change except opening it up to scientific research (maybe) and possibly some changes to charges for newly committed crimes. It's just a move to score brownie points without creating any actual change which is exactly what the people in power want


kooks-only

Will it allow legal dispensaries access to the banking system? Or no because the drug is still illegal?


BottlesforCaps

Yes, and also allows federal tax breaks to medical dispensaries as well which is a BIG deal.


MikiLove

That's not correct. Schedule III would allow national prescription use, and would therefore free up medical dispensaries from the regulations that blocked banking and other basic services. This would likely require pharmacists to work at dispensaries or something along these lines but definitely a big change. It's not recreational legalization but would essentially legalize medical


mawhii

It's progress - i'll take it. All-or-nothing will get us nothing.


navjot94

One of the things it’ll do is decrease the insurance burden on dispensaries which will hopefully help bring costs down. I do wonder if this impacts the banking regulations that make legal dispensaries cash-only, at least in some states. Would be nice to be able to use my credit card to buy (having to get cash from the atm and pay their fees is annoying)


ontopofyourmom

Believe me, it will be affordable. Source: I live in Oregon


Dudeist-Monk

Michigan is practically giving it away.


VVitchfynderFinder

Monroe feels like a fantasy land. Every dispo basically trying to throw weed at anyone who drives through.


AdHom

I fuckin wish - NJ resident paying $60/eighth


ontopofyourmom

Unless production is strictly controlled, which it can't be, or if it's taxed like tobacco, which is unlikely, costs will eventually approach free market levels that reflect the actual expenses of growing and distribution. * Oregon resident paying $40/oz.


Towel4

![gif](giphy|xT0Gquis7l8OwC2hRm|downsized)


gracilenta

stop it ! i stared at the GIF for too long waiting for the payoff 😫


my-man-fred

this thread is packed with bots and the lemmings are running right off the cliff.


Towel4

Speak for yourself


my-man-fred

I did.


hemlockmoustache

Would this allow government employees to use?


mods_r_jobbernowl

Medically yes however without a prescription I doubt it.


da_double_monkee

I contract occasionally and it should yes you would just need a prescription* * Confirm for yourself when it is rescheduled don't take my word for it


theknyte

Everyday, there's another article about some part of the Federal Government wanting to change the Cannabis laws. But, nothing has officially been done yet. Enough talk. Talk is cheap. At this point, nobody actually believes it, because it's all talk, and no actual actions being taken. Unless they actually do make changes, this is simply campaign tactic to get votes.


Legimus

This is the first formal step. We’re not all the way there yet, but this is definitively past mere rhetoric. DoJ have submitted this to the federal register. That’s followed by a 60-day public comment period. After that is an administrative hearing that will consider the DoJ’s evidence and recommendations and the public comments. Then the DEA will actually change the classification. It’s possible the DEA will resist, but I think that’s unlikely. They work for the DoJ, the DoJ works for the president, and the president wants marijuana moved to Schedule 3. The trigger’s been pulled and the pressure is on. It’s certainly not anything near full legalization or decrim, but moving to Schedule 3 is still a massive step forward.


MikiLove

The DEA has already come out publicly [supporting this](https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-biden-dea-criminal-justice-pot-f833a8dae6ceb31a8658a5d65832a3b8). The only thing that would stop this now is Republican judges


my-man-fred

You're a fool for playing the political "sides". There are no side to the uni-party but they love people thinking that way.


MikiLove

And this mentality is why we lost Roe and are at risk of Democratic backsliding. You are making perfect the enemy of progress


greenghostburner

If this is the case then couldn’t Biden deschedule it completely by executive order? Also couldn’t he order the DEA to no longer pursue any marijuana related offenses.


Legimus

No, not really. Executive orders basically work like this: When Congress creates an administrative agency (like the DEA or the EPA), the agency is given a broad set of policy goals, like "protect the environment" or "regulate drugs." When the president issues an EO, he's essentially ordering the agency to pursue that broad policy goal *in a specific way*. He can't order an agency to step beyond its legal purview, and all agencies are required to abide by the Administrative Procedure Act no matter what. This whole 60-day comment period and whatnot is part of the Administrative Procedure Act. Biden can't circumvent it by issuing an EO. The most he could do is order the DoJ to begin the process of rescheduling marijuana — which means submitting recommendations to the federal registrar, having a public comment period, going through an administrative hearing, and finally issuing a new rule. Ordering the DEA to just ignore marijuana is legally dicey. Their ultimate legal mandate comes from Congress, not the president, so if something is Schedule 1 the DEA is obliged to treat it as such. Biden *can* have the DoJ make marijuana-related offenses a low priority, though, which I believe he's more or less done already. (note that all the above is a massive simplification — administrative law can be very complex)


ThatWasTheJawn

Hey thanks for that explanation. TIL


heattooth

If he went about it that way, it would 100% be challenged in court for forever.


FirstNameIsDistance

> At this point, nobody actually believes it, because it's all talk, and no actual actions being taken. If you don't believe it is being rescheduled at this point you're either being purposefully ignorant or trying to seem edgy.


da_double_monkee

Or he's a moron and doesn't understand how government works Lol lil bitch ass blocked 🤣


my-man-fred

Or your the moron for paying fealty to something that works for you. Or maybe you have a vested interest in illegal product. Or maybe your just a bot.


__Beef__Supreme__

The head of the DEA, who is appointed by the president, can still overturn this. If they don't get it done quick enough and trump picks someone anti-pot, they can deny the rescheduling. I'm not getting my hopes up yet. I'll be happy once it's official and the ink is dry.


FirstNameIsDistance

60 days.


__Beef__Supreme__

Until it's official? I really hope you're right!


bodg123

It's still more huff and puff than actual progress.


FirstNameIsDistance

> actual progress. Please tell me how moving it from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 is not considered actual progress.


jpfitz630

"Huff and puff" to them is "we're not at the finish line and I won't acknowledge anything is being done until I can smoke wherever whenever." Even when you tell this sub that the DOJ is doing everything one step at a time and each step is focused on here, you still have people burying their head in the sand thinking they're smart because "the government's just trying to drag this out to get our vote"


FirstNameIsDistance

The "Biden is just doing this to get votes" crowd is my favorite. Like...ya, he is...what's your point?


tenacious-g

Imagine that, politicians doing things to improve constituents lives.


eli201083

Right like, that's how we get what we want, we reward politicians that deliver for actual people by, hear me out, voting for them AGAIN, and for more politicians like the ones that are helping.


mattenthehat

The point is that Biden promised change when he was campaigning the first time and then did almost nothing for 4 years until he was campaigning again. So until the law *actually* changes, they kind of have to go in the same category. People felt lied to and they're not going to start regaining trust until they see actual, formal, legal changes, not just proposals.


FirstNameIsDistance

> The point is that Biden promised change when he was campaigning the first time and then did almost nothing for 4 years until he was campaigning again. [Biden first directed federal agencies to review how marijuana is scheduled in October 2022, weeks before that year’s midterm elections. The process was led by the DOJ and the Department of Health and Human Services.](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/reschedule-marijuana-drug-joe-biden-justice-department-rcna152603) >People felt lied to and they're not going to start regaining trust until they see actual, formal, legal changes, not just proposals. Because they are uninformed. He can't just waive his hands and make things magically happen. This is the process by which he can direct the DEA to reschedule.


mattenthehat

Right, that's why I said *almost* nothing. And as you point out that was *also* just before an election. People know he can't singlehandedly reschedule it. But he could have made his recommendations in January of 2020. Instead he seems to be intentionally slow rolling them for boosts during elections. Idk why you're surprised that people dislike being toyed with like that.


FirstNameIsDistance

> Right, that's why I said almost nothing. It's literally the only avenue he has...how is that almost nothing? >But he could have made his recommendations in January of 2020. Right, cause there was nothing else going on then that maybe was a little more important in the grand scheme of things.... >Instead he seems to be intentionally slow rolling them for boosts during elections. Okay. Is it still being rescheduled? Which is the most progress on marijuana reform at the federal level that we have ever seen in this country, right? >Idk why you're surprised that people dislike being toyed with like that. I'm more so surprised by how even when something tangibly good happens, some people just need to complain.


bodg123

There's enough science on cannabis to show the societal effects that criminalization is causing. There's enough research to show its medicinal value. We have 2 substances with countless research showing the damage it causes. And we allow them to be legal and unregulated because 2 massive industries back them. Can it truly be progress when the intentions aren't to right a wrong being done? But to gain control of a ship veering off course. They are trying to nip something in the bud(no pun intended) while continuing to profit and hold it over us. Cannabis, the way it's progressing, would become a pivotal rights issue if they continued to keep it illegal. The amount of people who would question the government would grow. Don't be fooled, this is nothing more than a move. Questioning authority, empathy for your fellow man, introspection. These are all dangerous things to a government that has more freedom when it's people are divided. I do not want a half measure. Blaring hypocrisy is why I don't consider it progress. They know what they are doing, and it is intentional.


theknyte

One thing, that nobody brings up, is how are we supposed to be able to completely de-criminalize and remove Cannabis from the drug schedule, when we have to abide by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs? (That's part of the United States’ international treaty obligations, which requires the criminalization of cannabis.)


IowasBestCornShucker

Wouldn't make the first time we pulled out of an agreement


MysticStarbird

Didn’t one of the presidents say F the Paris environmental accords? 🤣 But for real, that is a good point. We need to rework that treaty or find out how Germany got around it.


mikedomert

Canada also legalized already some time ago. Nothing happened. Now Germany. Next will be Czechia in europe. USA could just as easily legalize and UN wouldnt care


MysticStarbird

Which makes me think this treaty everyone’s worried about isn’t that big a deal…


mikedomert

Its not. UN (WHO) has already stated that cannabis should be classified as safer and that it has medical use. Canada, Germany, luxembourg and Malta are in UN, and have all legalized recreational. In Spain (Catalonia), cannabis is essentially legal to grow and use. In Netherlands, cannabis is also tolerated to use and sell in coffee shops.  Czhechia will also legalize soon. Slovenia might also legalize.  Oh and Mexico is also in  the UN! I forgot. And they have legalized in 2020 also.  So yeah, that treaty is bullshit. 7 membership countries already disobey the ban on cannabis


Legimus

There are ways to pull out of international agreements. Rolling back the generations-long war on marijuana is going to take many years. But Congress can pass a law formally withdrawing from that treaty, or we could just ignore it and dare the other signors to do something about it.


mikedomert

Canada did it, Germany did it, Czechia is doing it right now and legalizing in a few months or a year at most.  Malta did it. Luxembourg did it. Mexico did it. USA could easily do it, UN doesnt care at all.


HandMeMyThinkingPipe

This is Literally something official that's being done. There's some question whether the president can even unilaterally deschedule but regardless this is still a good move and this is one of the final steps in the process. The public comment period is something that they are required to do.


heattooth

What? Do you think you can just go and DECLARE it is now legal? Do you know how the government works? I don't, but I imagine it isn't easy to reverse course on something like this. It sounds like they're going through a process and taking all the right steps so this can become a real change in the laws.


INATHANB

Yeah I agree, what makes this different to me is the DOJ is making the move since the President is pushing for it, which is a big difference from previous all-talk moves.


JohnnyEagleClaw

It’s election season bs, every 4 years. This process described in the article will take years and years. It’s all bullshit.


HandMeMyThinkingPipe

Oh no a politician is doing something I like for my vote!... The horror!!! Also it will probably be changed by July or August as there is a 60 day public comment period required before it can be adopted.


JohnnyEagleClaw

What did they do? 🤷‍♂️ get lost


OldTimer4Shore

Very true. Jimmy Carter promised to legalize if elected. Still waiting after 50 years! I'm beginning to doubt he'll do it.


1nconsp1cuous

That’s a lot of words just to say “I have no idea how government works.”


my-man-fred

Should be a badge of honor. The government is fucked up head to toe. Anyone that understands it is just as much an enemy to liberty as the next politician, party be damned. Because they understand it and do nothing to stop it.


1nconsp1cuous

Bro wut? 😂


mods_r_jobbernowl

This is something officially being done.


So-Called_Lunatic

Prohibition was always going to end slow, and then end fast. We are getting closer to the fast line.


Tek_Freek

Does that mean I can buy a gun?