For the first time in history a President of the United States has promoted marijuana reform at a State of the Union address.
During tonight’s address President Biden mentioned “directing my Cabinet to review the federal classification of marijuana, and expunging thousands of convictions for mere possession, because no one should be jailed for using or possessing marijuana.”
President Biden was referring to a 2022 executive order that issued marijuana pardons to those federally charged with possessing marijuana. The order also directed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a review of marijuana’s Schedule I status.
This review led to HSS recommending to the DEA in August that marijuana be moved to Schedule III, which would legalize marijuana for prescription use nationwide. The DEA says it is currently conducting a review of HHS’s request.
In addition to being the first president in history to promote marijuana reform at a State of the Union speech, President Biden is also the only president to ever signed a standalone piece of marijuana legislation; he signed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act in December, 2022. The law was designed to facilitate research on marijuana and its potential health benefits. The law streamlined the application process for scientific marijuana studies and removed barriers for researchers.
