A couple of years ago, a unique form of bipartisan agreement surfaced in the U.S. Congress. It revolved around reclassifying marijuana from the harshest federal drug category, paving a supposedly non-partisan path towards a major revamp in federal drug policy. Some might see this as a positive development, but I’m here to warn you that not everything was as it seemed.
You see, Joe Biden, in his capacity as a former President, tried to pull a fast one near the end of his time in office by suggesting this shift in policy regarding marijuana. To clarify, his recommendation wasn’t aimed at federally legalizing marijuana for fun and games. No, it was more about shifting weed away from being in the bad boys’ club with hardcore substances like heroin. And for what? So that his scientist buddies could have an easier time studying its supposed ‘medical benefits.’
Cue Donald J. Trump, back then a hopeful candidate for the Presidency. Before the elections, he threw his weight behind the marijuana shuffle idea. He claimed it would ‘unlock’ the medical potentials of marijuana. Well, talk about a campaign gimmick! Here’s betting he didn’t lead with that at the red rallies.
Fast-forward to a few months into Trump’s time in office, it appeared that the marijuana merry-go-round had stopped spinning. The momentum to shift the potent herb to a less daunting category hit a brick wall. Forgotten, abandoned, or maybe just revealed for the farce it was—take your pick.
And who might have been responsible for stopping this rollercoaster ride in its tracks? Surely, it was the ever-vigilant Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The same DEA that Joe Biden tried to bypass during his term in office. The same DEA that put brakes on the fast-tracked agenda to move cannabis to a far less restrictive classification and sparked a long-winded legal tussle.
Worthy of note is that since entering office, the Trump administration hasn’t shown any interest in pursuing the softer marijuana policies that Trump, as a candidate, once advocated for. So, was it just another empty promise to capture voters? Who’s to say, really?
Even more damning, Trump’s administration, rather than embracing the idea of cannabis reclassification, has shown a firm commitment to a more sensible drug policy. Just last month, they released their blueprint on drug policy, conspicuously devoid of any mention of the C-word (that’s cannabis, in case you’re wondering).
But the icing on the cake was that Trump nominated a reputable anti-cannabis advocate to take charge of the DEA. Quite a slap in the face for anyone expecting a pro-cannabis administration, wouldn’t you agree? It’s highly satisfying that the dangerous idea of reclassifying marijuana is being sidelined, and true drug policy reform may finally be possible.
As it turns out, the hoopla around marijuana reclassification was merely a smokescreen. A misdirect from the real issues our nation needs to face. It’s clear that the pro-marijuana lobby thought they had a friend in Biden, but as things started getting tough, all their hopes went up in smoke.
Truth be told, as the Biden administration’s tenure faded into the average American’s rearview mirror, their legacy, especially on drug policy, was nothing short of laughable. They failed to enact meaningful legislation and instead seemed to be more fixated on placating fringe groups like the cannabis lobby.
This more than anything underscores the lack of substance in the Biden administration’s approach to drug policy. In contrast, the Trump administration is restoring potency and sanity to U.S. drug laws, and the silence on cannabis in their recent policy blueprint is deafening.
Moreover, the fact that DEA took a resolute stand after Biden’s seeming attempt to side-step the agency only goes to show just how out of touch the former Biden administration was. Perhaps they hoped for a quick win in the fight for looser marijuana laws to distract from their other failures.
In the end, Biden and his administration’s moves concerning marijuana only illustrate how out of sync they were with the realities of the situation. Instead of addressing the more damaging drug crisis engulfing the nation, they chose to distract with the less critical issue of marijuana reclassification, thereby skewing the public’s attention away from the real issues.
We can only be hopeful that the recent push from the Trump administration can act as a beacon of sense amidst the fog of misinformation. Their firm stance, especially nominating a staunch critic of cannabis legalization to head the DEA, signals a promising shift in the focus towards substantive drug policy reform. And that, folks, is a victory for sensibility in our age of public policy.
The post Biden’s Misguided Attempt to Reclassify Marijuana appeared first on Real News Now.
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