A.G. Gancarski
A Bradenton Republican is running back legislation that could see marijuana rescheduled. And this time around, it’s as President Donald Trump says he is considering changing the classification of cannabis.
U.S. Rep. Greg Steube’s bill (HR 4963) would reschedule the drug from current Schedule I to Schedule III within 60 days after it is enacted.
Schedule I includes hard drugs, such as “heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote.”
Schedule III includes “drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence” like “products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine per dosage unit (Tylenol with codeine), ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone.”
Steube has filed this bill for the last four years.
“It makes zero sense that federal law treats marijuana the same as heroin and LSD. It is even more ridiculous that cocaine is technically classified as less restrictive than marijuana. This week, I’m reintroducing my Marijuana 1-to-3 Act to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act,” Steube said Monday.
“This is a common-sense change that will finally allow real scientific research into its medicinal value and ensure our drug laws reflect reality. I urge my colleagues and the Trump administration to get it done.”
The President has suggested a move might be imminent, both privately and publicly.
“We’re looking at reclassification and we’ll make a determination over the next — I would say over the next few weeks, and that determination hopefully will be the right one. It’s a very complicated subject,” Trump said Monday at the White House.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Trump told donors at a New Jersey fundraiser that he was interested in changing the current Schedule I classification for weed, perhaps to Schedule III. CNN also reported that a report is at the highest levels of the administration, further stoking the narrative. However, some in the White House caution that a decision is not happening immediately.
As a candidate for re-election, Trump aligned himself with pro-legalization pushes, notably Florida’s Amendment 3 supporting marijuana legalization that Gov. Ron DeSantis and anti-pot forces ultimately succeeded in defeating by holding it under the required 60% support to pass.
