Strengthen Biden among young voters
US justice wants to downgrade the danger of marijuana
April 30, 2024, 10:17 p.m
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In the United States, marijuana ranks in a danger category with heroin and LSD. According to insiders, the Justice Department is planning to downgrade the drug. The idea: President Biden could recommend this to younger voters.
According to sources, the US government is working on a plan to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. This would be a historic move that could make buying and selling marijuana much easier and make the multi-billion dollar industry more profitable. Justice Department officials plan to submit a proposal to the White House for consideration that would remove marijuana from the government’s most restrictive drug classification, people familiar with the matter said. Marijuana has been listed as a Schedule I drug since 1970, alongside LSD and heroin.
A proposal could only be published in a few weeks. However, it is unclear whether the incumbent Biden administration would still try to ease restrictions. A reclassification would have to go through the government approval process, which could take months. The presidential elections in the USA take place in November. According to insiders, Joe Biden’s confidants are betting that such a move could strengthen the president’s reputation among younger voters, who have particularly supported liberalizing marijuana policy.
Remains illegal under federal law
More than half of U.S. states have legalized marijuana in some form in the past decade, and many Democrats and some Republicans have taken a more tolerant stance on marijuana use. But the government still puts it in a category for drugs that have a high potential for abuse and for which there is no accepted medical use.
Even if marijuana were no longer classified as a Schedule I drug, it would remain illegal under federal law without further changes by Congress. The Justice Department could still prosecute marijuana offenders, although Washington has largely stayed away from states that have legalized marijuana.