DEA Announces Plans to Reclassify Marijuana as Less Dangerous Drug: A Historic Shift in American Drug Policy

Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States United States of America
DEA announces plans to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug
Marijuana will be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III
Move follows President Biden's call for review of federal marijuana law and pardon of thousands convicted federally of simple possession
DEA Announces Plans to Reclassify Marijuana as Less Dangerous Drug: A Historic Shift in American Drug Policy

On May 2, 2024, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced plans to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug. This historic shift in American drug policy comes after years of advocacy from various organizations and individuals. According to reports, marijuana will be moved from its current classification as a Schedule I drug alongside heroin and LSD, to Schedule III, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids.

The news was welcomed by supporters of marijuana legalization who have long argued that the substance has medicinal benefits and poses less risk than many other substances currently classified under Schedule II or lower. The DEA's decision also follows President Joe Biden's call for a review of federal marijuana law in October 2022 and his subsequent pardon of thousands of Americans convicted federally of simple possession.

Several sources reported that the proposed changes to marijuana use rules will face a long road before taking effect and are subject to public comment. However, the announcement marks a significant step towards ending federal prohibition of marijuana and allowing states to adopt their own laws regarding its use.

The DEA's decision was met with enthusiasm from various quarters, including the cannabis industry, which stands to benefit from reduced tax burdens and increased legitimacy. According to a Gallup poll conducted in 2024, 70% of adults supported marijuana legalization, the highest level recorded by the polling firm.

Despite this development, it is important to note that marijuana will not be fully legalized for recreational use at the federal level. The DEA's decision only recognizes its medical uses and acknowledges that it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation's most dangerous drugs.

The following sources were used to compile this article:

  1. C-Span: Washington Journal: Kevin Sabet & Paul Armentano Discuss DEA Plans to Reclassify Marijuana (May 2, 2024) https://www.c-span.org/video/?535306-3/kevin-sabet-paul-armentano-dea-plans-reclassify-marijuana

  2. Forbes: U.S. Senators Introduce Bill To Legalize Marijuana (May 2, 2024) https://www.forbes.com/sites/ajherrington/2024/05/02/us-senators-introduce-bill-to-legalize-marijuana/

  3. Associated Press: US poised to ease restrictions on marijuana in historic shift, but it'll remain controlled substance (April 30, 2024) https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-biden-dea-criminal-justice-pot-f833a8dae6ceb31a8658a5d65832a3b8

  4. The New York Times: Biden Loosens Up on Weed (May 2, 2024) https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/01/opinion/thepoint


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Confidence

95%

Doubts

Sources

97%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Biden Loosens Up on Weed

The Name Of The NZ Prefix. I PWA NZI.P.Was Dropped. Michael Barbaro, Thursday, 02 May 2024 10:00
  • Unique Points
    • Biden administration signaled a significant shift in approach towards marijuana
    • Federal government has treated marijuana as one of the more dangerous drugs for half a century
    • Proposed changes to marijuana use rules will face a long road before taking effect and are subject to public comment
  • Accuracy
    • ]The federal government has treated marijuana as one of the more dangerous drugs for half a century[
    • Marijuana will be moved from its current classification as a Schedule I drug alongside heroin and LSD, to Schedule III,
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Conversations and insights about the moment.

The Name Of The NZ Prefix. I PWA NZI.P.Was Dropped. David Firestone, Wednesday, 01 May 2024 20:54
  • Unique Points
    • The New York Times editorial board published a six-part series urging the federal government to stop banning marijuana in 2014.
    • Despite some states legalizing marijuana for recreational use, the federal government continued to classify it as a Schedule I drug until recently.
    • The Biden administration began the process of moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III in early March 2023.
  • Accuracy
    • ]The New York Times editorial board published a six-part series urging the federal government to stop banning marijuana in 2014.[
    • Biden administration signaled a significant shift in approach towards marijuana
    • DEA is considering reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy when it mentions the Obama administration's rebuttal and their assessment of the problems of addiction and substance abuse with marijuana. The authors do not provide any evidence or reasoning to support their disagreement with the Obama administration's assessment.
    • The Obama administration issued a detailed rebuttal, saying we had overlooked the serious problems of addiction and substance abuse that would result from legalization. (Actually, we didn’t overlook them; we just disagreed with their assessment.)
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

U.S. Senators Introduce Bill To Legalize Marijuana

Forbes Magazine A.J. Herrington Thursday, 02 May 2024 00:00
  • Unique Points
    • A group of 18 Democratic Senators reintroduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act to legalize marijuana at the federal level.
    • The bill would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), ending federal prohibition of marijuana and allowing states to adopt their own laws.
    • If approved by the White House Office of Management and Budget, cannabis would be removed from Schedule I under the CSA and placed under Schedule III.
    • The legislation prioritizes restorative justice by using federal tax dollars to reinvest in communities and individuals most harmed by the War on Drugs. It also provides funding to help minimize barriers to cannabis licensing and employment for individuals adversely impacted by marijuana criminalization.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Washington Journal: Kevin Sabet & Paul Armentano Discuss DEA Plans to Reclassify Marijuana

C-SPAN News Site Analysis Thursday, 02 May 2024 16:32
  • Unique Points
    • Kevin Sabet and Paul Armentano discussed DEA’s plans to reclassify marijuana as a lower-risk drug on Washington Journal on May 2, 2024.
    • DEA is considering reclassifying marijuana following a recommendation from the Health and Human Services Administration.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

US poised to ease restrictions on marijuana in historic shift, but it'll remain controlled substance

The Associated Press News Tuesday, 30 April 2024 17:04
  • Unique Points
    • The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) plans to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift in American drug policy.
    • Marijuana will be moved from its current classification as a Schedule I drug alongside heroin and LSD, to Schedule III, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids.
    • President Joe Biden called for a review of federal marijuana law in October 2022 and pardoned thousands of Americans convicted federally of simple possession.
    • 70% of adults in a Gallup poll supported marijuana legalization, the highest level recorded by the polling firm.
    • Easing federal regulations could reduce the tax burden on the rapidly growing $30 billion marijuana industry.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The article does not contain any explicit logical fallacies. However, there are some instances of inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to emotion. The author states that 'the election year announcement could help Biden, a Democrat, boost flagging support, particularly among younger voters.' This is an appeal to emotion as it attempts to elicit an emotional response from the reader. Additionally, the author mentions 'Some critics argue the DEA shouldn’t change course on marijuana,' and then quotes Jack Riley stating his concerns about marijuana being a 'gateway drug.' This is a dichotomous depiction as it presents only two extreme views on the issue without acknowledging any nuance or middle ground. However, these instances do not significantly impact the overall quality of the article and do not detract from its informational value.
    • ]The election year announcement could help Biden, a Democrat, boost flagging support, particularly among younger voters.[/
    • Some critics argue the DEA shouldn’t change course on marijuana,
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication