If you haven't waked and baked yet today, and you are still in a sleep induced haze, there is HUGE news out there today that the DEA has stepped up and will make a rescheduling announcement about marijuana by midyear. If I counted correctly, midyear is June 1st, and it is roughly the beginning of April. So if my stoner math is right, grams to ounces, we are 8 to 9 weeks away from a DEA announcement about rescheduling marijuana.
As Matt writes:
The Drug Enforcement Administration plans to decide whether marijuana should reclassified under federal law in “the first half of 2016,” the agency said in a letter to senators.
DEA, responding to a 2015 letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and seven other Democratic senators urging the federal government to facilitate research into marijuana’s medical benefits, doesn’t indicate whether it will reclassify marijuana as less dangerous.
The U.S. has five categories, or schedules, classifying illegal drugs or chemicals that can be used to make them. Schedule I is reserved for drugs the DEA considers to have the highest potential for abuse and no “current accepted medical use.” Marijuana has been classified as Schedule I for decades, along with heroin and LSD. Rescheduling marijuana wouldn’t make it legal, but may ease restrictions on research and reduce penalties for marijuana offenses.
The article does say the DEA gave no specifics on what they are going to say or do about rescheduling yet, but that they would announce something in 8 weeks. Since it is already a Class 1 drug like heroin, there is only one way to go, and that is down the ladder to either class 2, class 3, or even de-scheduled. This would be a stoners dream as it would have the same classification as alcohol.
One can only guess the DEA is not acting alone on this as they are just part of the enforcement branch of government. The guess here is that they are working with the judicial branch, congress, and even the President to have a uniform announcement on the subject. For example, the DEA cannot just decide to "not" enforce a federal law. The can reschedule in on their own, but you would think that with this matter being such a high profile subject this year and a common question in our election year, they would want to cover their "you know what" with all parties involved.
You also have to think the Brookings report on medical CBD oil and how it should and must be available to all families in the USA, Senator Warren's work at the CDC, WeedEtiquette on ViceLand, and having Bernie Sanders pushing the issue is not hurting the chances of getting marijuana rescheduled.
So next time the DEA comes knocking....
Dave's Not Here!
