The nation’s largest anti-marijuana political group has established a “Rescheduling Legal Defense Fund” to potentially sue over the Biden Administration’s decision to reclassify marijuana as Schedule III.
“The Biden Administration announced plans to weaken federal regulations on marijuana by moving it to Schedule III. Let’s be clear: this does not mean marijuana is legalized—it will remain federally illegal”, said Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) in an e-mail. “But, if implemented, moving marijuana to Schedule III would give Big Marijuana billions in tax write-offs as well as continue the normalization of high-potency THC drugs. SAM will oppose this change at every level, including, if necessary, pursuing legal action.”
SAM says they’ve established a “Rescheduling Legal Defense Fund” that “will be used to support our challenges of marijuana laws and regulations, specifically marijuana’s Schedule III recommendation”.
SAM, founded in 2013, is by far the nation’s largest anti-marijuana nonprofit organization, advocating against the legalization of marijuana and promoting policies aimed at decreasing marijuana use. SAM was founded by Kevin Sabet, a former White House advisor on drug policy, and Patrick J. Kennedy, a former congressmember from Rhode Island.
“If the DEA truly does move forward with moving marijuana to Schedule III, we will sue the federal government in order to prevent it from taking effect, including seeking an emergency injunction”, says SAM.
For an overview of the legal steps required before marijuana can be moved to Schedule III, click here. For a list of the 10 biggest implications of this change, click here.
