In case you missed it, Fats Joe visited the White Home late final week to debate federal marijuana coverage. 2024, man.
Throughout a roundtable dialogue with Mr. Joe (?), Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and several other people who acquired pardons from President Joe Biden for prior federal marijuana convictions, Vice President Kamala Harris “urged the Administration to the appliance of medicine to work as quickly as potential on its evaluate to reprogram marijuana as a much less harmful drug.”
The vice chairman, in direct phrases, stated it was “absurd” and “patently unfair” to maintain the drug in the identical extremely restrictive degree as heroin and fentanyl. “Nobody ought to go to jail for smoking weed,” Harris stated, in accordance with NPR, framing the problem of marijuana reform as a felony justice problem that disproportionately hurts black and Latino males.
As for the timing, Harris stated, “I can't stress sufficient that they should get there as quickly as potential, and we want a decision primarily based on their findings and their evaluation.”
The vice chairman's remarks observe Biden's push for marijuana rescheduling throughout the latest State of the Union. Biden beforehand granted pardons for federal crimes of marijuana use and possession and inspired governors to do the identical for state legislation convictions.
We beforehand reported that in October 2022 Biden ordered the Secretary of Well being and Human Companies, Xavier Becerra, “to start the executive course of to rapidly look at how marijuana is supplied for in federal legislation.” Final August, we famous that the US Division of Well being and Human Companies formally really helpful to the DEA that marijuana be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III underneath federal legislation.
Final Friday, Harris expressed the urgency, concluding: “I’m certain that the DEA is working as rapidly as potential and can proceed to take action … And we look ahead to the product of their work.”
On the one hand, you could possibly be excused for believing that this was simply an inconsequential assembly on a Friday throughout Spring Break with no probability to maneuver the ball ahead. I believe, nevertheless, that it’s important to listen to the sitting vice chairman unequivocally and in harsh phrases name for the speedy reprogramming of marijuana and make the case that it will be unfair to not do it. On this regard, the marijuana trade has come a good distance.
