The decision on the reclassification of marijuana in the US will not be made before the November elections

2024-09-03 22:42:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The decision on the reclassification of marijuana in the US will not be made

A decision on whether to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug in the United States will be made after November's presidential election, meaning the issue could be a hot topic in the tight race between the two candidates. .

The United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will hold a hearing on December 2 on a proposal to change federal policy on this substance. This means that the final decision may be made by the next administration.

While it's technically possible for the decision to come before the end of President Joe Biden's term, getting it before Inauguration Day "would be pretty rushed," says cannabis rights attorney Brian Vicente.

Doing so could put a spotlight on the presidential candidates' stances on marijuana. Vice President Kamala Harris has supported its decriminalization and said it is "absurd" that marijuana is in the same drug classification category as heroin and LSD (a powerful hallucinogen). The position of the Democratic candidate has changed over the years; she once oversaw cannabis law enforcement and opposed legalizing its non-medical adult use in California when she ran for state attorney general in 2010.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, on Saturday signaled support for a legalization initiative in Florida, after earlier comments that he is increasingly convinced that people should not be jailed for using the drug, which is already legal in many states, regardless of whether this "is a good thing or a bad thing."

While running for president in 2016, Mr. Trump said he supported the use of marijuana for medical reasons and that the issue should be left to the states to decide. But during his first term, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions overturned a directive from former President Barack Obama's administration that barred federal authorities from cracking down on the use of cannabis in states where it was legal.

The Justice Department proposed reclassifying marijuana in May, saying the change would take into account marijuana's medical use, as well as the fact that it has less potential for abuse than some of the more dangerous drugs on the market. The proposal, which would not legalize marijuana for personal use, came after a call for review by President Biden, who has called the change "monumental."

The new classification would be the most significant change in US drug policy in 50 years and could be a powerful political issue, especially for young voters. But it faces opposition from some groups that argue there isn't enough data to place cannabis in the category of less dangerous substances.

The proposal, which was signed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, followed a recommendation by the Department of Health. Federal drug policy has lagged behind that of many states in the country. Over the past few years, 38 of them have already legalized medical marijuana, and 24 have legalized its use for personal recreational purposes.

Lawmakers from both major political parties have called for changes as marijuana has become increasingly decriminalized and accepted.

A Gallup poll last year found 70% of adults support legalization, the highest level ever recorded by the organization.

However, the effect of the change in its classification, in the criminal system, is likely to be less visible, since criminal prosecutions at the federal level, for possession of marijuana for personal use, have been quite rare in recent years./ VOA