I’ve been following this somewhat closely over the past few months, the issue iirc is that it isn’t solely up to the administration, the final decision rests with the DEA. Biden pretty obviously wants it descheduled, it would be an enormous political win for him, but the feds are pushing back. It will for sure be at least rescheduled, but I won’t hold my breath on cannabis coming off the schedule entirely. But if Joe actually gets this done, I would take back every bad thing I ever said about him, it would be huge.
I read about that recently. WSJ usually has a paywall but this sums it up:
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/dea-officials-reportedly-at-odds-with-biden-admin-over-marijuana-rescheduling-push/
Officials with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are reportedly resisting calls to reschedule marijuana, creating tension with the White House as President Joe Biden continues to tout his role in directing the cannabis review.
That’s according to an article published by The Wall Street Journal on Saturday, with the report citing “people familiar with the matter” who say certain DEA officials are disputing scientific findings from the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) that led it to recommend moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
Some advocates and stakeholders have challenged the reporting, questioning the possible motivations of the anonymous sources. DEA has only publicly said that it is carrying out its review after receiving the HHS recommendation, without taking a specific position.
In any case, the report says that the DEA officials are unconvinced by the health agency’s conclusion that cannabis hold certain medical value, and they’re concerned about issues related to increased THC potency.
That's believable to me, IMO. It's one reason I don't think they should have a say in it to begin with. They are an enforcement agency with a lurid central role in the War on Drugs. What should we expect from them? There is a more fundamental question here - that the government should not be banning something that isn't particularly harmful or addictive, and that the vast majority of the population
wants to be legal.
