A Republican congressman introduced a law that codifies the change in policy under federal statute. This bill would be implemented by the federal government, as President Donald Trump is considering a proposal for a federally reclassification of marijuana through an administrative process.
Rep. Greg Steube’s (R-FL), “Marijuana 1 to 3 Act” has been filed for the fourth time in a single session. The measure transfers cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.
Under a Biden administration-initiated proposal, that’s exactly what would happen at the administrative level—a policy that Trump endorsed on the campaign trial and more tepidly said he was considering at a press briefing on Monday. According to the president, a decision will be taken in the near future on the cannabis reform.
Steube’s bill was filed on Tuesday and would legitimize the reform, helping to mitigate any legal risks.
The two-page legislation states that “the Attorney General of the United States shall, by order not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this section, transfer marijuana…from schedule I of such Act to schedule III” of the CSA.
Trump was questioned about the rescheduling plan a day prior to this bill’s filing. The president didn’t commit to seeing through the Biden administration-initiated process, but instead said he saw both sides of the debate and would be reviewing the reform.
In response, two House lawmakers—Steube and Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV)—implored the president to act.
Steube wrote in a post on social media that it was absurd to treat marijuana as the same drug as heroin or LSD. It is absurd that cocaine has a lower classification than marijuana.
This week I will reintroduce my Marijuana 1 to 3 Act to shift marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. He said that this is a change of common sense, which will allow for real scientific research on its medicinal benefits and make sure our drug laws are in line with reality. “I encourage my colleagues, and the Trump Administration to do it.”
Steube was also behind the first cannabis reform bill of the current 119th Congress, filing legislation in February that would protect military veterans from losing government benefits for using medical cannabis in compliance with state law.
There’s still a lot of uncertainty about where Trump stands on this issue.
He endorsed the idea of rescheduling during the election campaign, but he only made public comments on it for the first time since assuming office at a Monday press conference.
“Some people like it. Some people hate it—people hate the whole concept of marijuana, because it does bad for the children [and] “It is bad that people older than children are being treated this way,” said the president. “But we’re looking at reclassification, and we’ll make a determination over the next few weeks—and that determination, hopefully, will be the right one.”
Meanwhile, a new political committee that shares the same treasurer as Trump’s own super PAC is pushing the president to follow through on rescheduling marijuana, releasing an ad that highlights his previous endorsement of the reform on the campaign trail.
The treasurer of the PAC, Charles Gantt, is the same person named as treasurer of Trump’s political committee, MAGA Inc., which recently reported receiving $1 million from a marijuana industry PAC that’s supported by multiple major cannabis companies.
That committee, the American Rights and Reform PAC, separately released ads in May that attacked former President Joe Biden’s marijuana policy record in an apparent attempt to push Trump to go further on the issue.
—
MEDCAN24 tracks hundreds of marijuana, psychedelics, and drug policy legislation in state legislatures this year. Patreon subscribers who donate at least $25/month have access to the interactive maps and charts as well as our hearing calendar.
Find out more about our marijuana law tracker. To gain access, become a Patreon supporter.
—
A post recently shared on social media shows that MAGA Inc. (also known as Make America Great Again Inc.) created its own ad touting Trump’s support of “commonsense” reforms such as removing marijuana from Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act and letting each state set their policies.
However, the fact that he ends the commercial by saying Donald Trump for President suggests it was likely prepared in advance of the 2024 elections.
The owner of the major gardening supply company Scotts Miracle-Gro recently said Trump has told him directly “multiple times” since taking office that he intends to see through the marijuana rescheduling process.
Trump’s former acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) also recently predicted that the administration will soon “dig in” to the state-federal marijuana policy conflict, emphasizing the need to “eliminate confusion, not create it” amid the rescheduling push.
Meanwhile, Terrence Cole, who was sworn in last month as the new administrator of the DEA, declined to include rescheduling on a list of “strategic priorities” the agency that instead focused on anti-trafficking enforcement, Mexican cartels, the fentanyl supply chain, drug-fueled violence, cryptocurrency, the dark web and a host of other matters.
That’s despite the fact that Cole said during a confirmation hearing in April that examining the government’s pending marijuana rescheduling proposal would be “one of my first priorities” after taking office.
Last week, former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer predicted that Trump would not legalize marijuana, though that is a separate issue from the current rescheduling proposal under consideration.
Meanwhile, a strategic consulting and research firm associated with Trump—Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, LLC—conducted a survey of registered voters that showed a majority of Republicans back a variety of cannabis reforms.
You can read the Marijuana 1 to 3 Act text below.
Max Pixel provided the photo.
MEDCAN24 could not exist without readers’ support. Please consider making a Patreon monthly pledge if you depend on our cannabis journalism for information.
