Last Call for 4.30.24 — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics

Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.

First Shot

Federal policymakers are poised to reschedule marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Cannabis is currently classified as a Schedule I drug alongside heroin and at a higher level than other substances typically considered “hard drugs,” such as cocaine.

The proposed rule would place marijuana in Schedule III, which the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration defines as “drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”

Drug scheduling is independent of legality — there are common prescription medications, such as Adderall and Ritalin, which DEA classifies as Schedule II — and it would continue to be illegal to buy, sell or possess recreational marijuana at the federal level.

The proposed rule, which has not yet been released, does, however, recognize cannabis’ medical uses. Before it can go into effect, the White House Office of Management and Budget must review and sign off on the change and there must be a public comment period.

The Biden administration first pushed to schedule cannabis in October 2022 and the Health and Human Services Department delivered its recommendation to DEA eight months ago. The timeline for when the new rule could be approved is unclear, and it could undergo changes during the public comment period.

Congress also has authority to override the rule although it would require a two-thirds vote in both chambers, which is unlikely. 

Evening Reads

—”Voters don’t like Joe Biden’s economy — but why?” via Monica Potts of FiveThirtyEight

—”Democratic leadership vows to rescue Mike Johnson as intrigue grows in Capitol” via Marianna Sotomayor of The Washington Post

—”Black entrepreneurs, frustrated by high rates, look to the election” via Peter S. Goodman of The New York Times

—”College crackdown shines spotlight on violent cops — yet again” via Tim Dickinson of Rolling Stone

—“Florida police arrest first pro-Palestinian protesters in state at two university campuses” via Vivienne Serret of Fresh Take Florida

—”How today’s anti-war protests stack up against major student movements in history” via Nicole Narea of Vox

—”Will Florida’s strict six-week ban be bypassed by abortion by mail?” via Sam Ogozalek and Christopher O’Donnell of the Tampa Bay Times

—”How Nick Offerman became a progressive in right-wing clothing” via Jada Yuan of The Washington Post

Quote of the Day

“I welcome Biden-Harris to spend a lot of money in Florida. Light up the airwaves. Do it; light it on fire.”

— Gov. Ron DeSantis, on whether Florida will be competitive in the November election.

Put It on the Tab

Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.

Florida’s Governor doesn’t often laugh at press conferences, but he couldn’t resist when asked whether Florida is in play this year. Really, it was less of a laugh and more of a snort, so grab him one of these.

Kamala Harris will be at the Prime Osborn Center in Jacksonville tomorrow afternoon to speak about abortion rights. If you’re in Northeast Florida, down a couple of VPs before heading to the venue.

The Sunshine State’s average teacher salary slipped to the 2nd-lowest nationally, ahead of only West Virginia. We’d recommend a 49er, but it only fits the bill if D.C. is excluded from the rankings.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Magic can take control of playoff series tonight

The Orlando Magic tip off against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a pivotal fifth game of the best-of-seven NBA playoff series (8 p.m. ET, Bally Sports Florida).

After dropping the first two games of the series in Cleveland, the Magic bounced back to win games three and four at home. Franz Wagner’s 34 points helped power the Magic to the game-four win. Wagner and Paolo Banchero have each averaged over 20 points per game in the series. Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell is the only Cavalier to average more than 20 points per game through the first four contests of the series.

Game five is always a key game in a best-of-seven. More than 80% of the teams that win game five after starting a series tied at two games each go on to win the series. Orlando last won a playoff series in 2010. This is just the third season since 2012 that the Magic have qualified for the postseason.

If Orlando can take the series, they will face the winner of the series between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. Boston leads the series 3-1 after beating the Heat 102-88 in Miami last night. Game five of the series is scheduled for tomorrow night in Boston. The Celtics were the top seed in the Eastern Conference this season. 

Also tonight:

6:40 p.m. — Colorado Rockies @ Miami Marlins

7:40 p.m. — Tampa Bay Rays @ Milwaukee Brewers

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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.