Harris says DEA should look at marijuana reform as quickly as possible : NPR

Vice President Harris on Friday urged the Drug Enforcement Administration to work as rapidly as attainable on its evaluation of whether or not to reschedule marijuana as a less-dangerous drug.

Harris made her feedback throughout a roundtable dialog about marijuana reform with rapper Fats Joe, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and several other individuals who have obtained pardons for prior marijuana convictions.

“No person ought to should go to jail for smoking weed,” Harris stated, framing the difficulty of marijuana reform as a felony justice subject that disproportionately hurts Black and Latino males.

This was a marketing campaign promise from 2019

Throughout his 2019 marketing campaign, Biden pledged he would decriminalize marijuana and expunge prior convictions for pot use. He stated he would assist legalization for medical use — however depart selections about leisure use as much as the states.

Biden has pardoned individuals convicted of straightforward possession underneath federal legislation and D.C. statute — although the overwhelming majority of convictions occur on the state degree. Harris praised Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear for addressing the difficulty in his state, and inspired different states to comply with his lead.

Marijuana is presently categorized as a Schedule I drug — as harmful as heroin — which Harris known as “absurd” and “unfair.” Throughout his marketing campaign, Biden stated he would reschedule it.

In 2022, weeks earlier than the midterm elections, Biden introduced that he had requested Well being and Human Companies and the Justice Division to evaluation that classification. HHS completed its a part of the evaluation final 12 months, however the DEA has not.

“I can not emphasize sufficient that they should get to it as rapidly as attainable, and we have to have a decision based mostly on their findings and their evaluation,” Harris stated on Friday.

Biden talked about the difficulty in his State of the Union handle

Biden talked about marijuana reform in his State of the Union handle, saying “Nobody needs to be jailed for utilizing or possessing marijuana.”

The problem polls significantly effectively with younger voters — a demographic that has grow to be much less enthused about Biden particularly over the way in which he has dealt with Israel’s conflict in Gaza.

Marijuana reform additionally got here up this week in Milwaukee, when Biden toured his social gathering’s marketing campaign headquarters for Wisconsin. One supporter held up an indication praising Biden for his point out of the difficulty within the State of the Union.

“I am caring for that,” Biden stated.