The Biden administration announced Thursday that it has begun the formal rulemaking process to reclassify marijuana to Schedule III from its Schedule I designation, which it has maintained for more than 50 years.
The announcement follows the Justice Department’s announcement last month that it planned to move forward with rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III, which the Department of Health and Human Services had recommended last year.
“This is monumental. Today, my administration took an important step toward reclassifying marijuana from a schedule one drug to a schedule three drug. It is an important step towards reversing long-standing inequalities,” said President Biden in a statement shared on the social platform X.
“Today’s announcement builds on the work we’ve already done to pardon a record number of federal crimes for simple possession of marijuana. And it adds to the steps we’ve taken to eliminate barriers to housing, employment, small business loans and more for tens of thousands of Americans,” he added.
The rulemaking process includes opening the rule to public comment, an administrative hearing, and final consideration by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Marijuana and drug policy experts were unimpressed with the White House’s rescheduling goal, saying it doesn’t go far enough to address the issues surrounding marijuana criminalization.
A Schedule III designation will mean that marijuana will still carry potential penalties, although these will be smaller under a new categorization. Complete decriminalization of marijuana could be achieved through Congress with legislation removing the drug from the Controlled Substances Act.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
