Biden advocates for marijuana reclassification, decriminalization

President Joe Biden has emphasized that no one should face imprisonment for using or possessing marijuana.

This remark comes as he supports the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) efforts to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law.

Reclassifying marijuana will place it with prescription medications such as ketamine, anabolic steroids, and testosterone, rather than heroin and LSD.

In a post on his X page on Friday, Biden wrote: “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. So today, the @TheJusticeDept is taking the next step to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug under federal law. Right now, marijuana has a higher-level classification than fentanyl and methamphetamine – the two drugs driving America’s overdose epidemic. That just doesn’t add up.”

Biden noted that the decision, based on science and data, was made after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigated the drug’s medicinal usage, abuse, and dependence potential. The categorization is intended to make it easier to conduct crucial marijuana research.

“No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,” Biden emphasized. He noted that this announcement builds on previous actions to pardon federal offenses for simple marijuana possession. “I’m committed to righting those historic wrongs. You have my word,” he added.

The reclassification of marijuana constitutes a fundamental shift in federal drug policy, with the goal of addressing long-standing concerns about marijuana criminalization and its impact on American lives.

No one should be jailed for simply using or possessing marijuana.

— President Biden (@POTUS) May 17, 2024