"Smoke and Mirrors": Trump's Cannabis Rescheduling Order Falls Flat as Opponents Gear Up for Battle.
President Donald Trump recently ordered the Department of Justice to fast-track the rescheduling of cannabis, a move that promised to open doors for research and cut red tape for businesses and consumers. However, behind the scenes, opponents within the administration and conservative groups are fueling resistance to the plan, casting doubt on whether it will ever materialize.
Under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), drugs are categorized into five schedules based on their potential for harm and medical use. Schedule I substances, like heroin and LSD, are tightly controlled, while Schedule V substances, such as Lyrica, are seen as less harmful. The CSA's scheduling system is notoriously restrictive when it comes to cannabis, which has been lumped into Schedule I despite being used by nearly 20 million Americans.
In December, Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to complete the rulemaking process related to rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III of the CSA in the most expeditious manner. However, insiders say that language like "most expeditious manner" may not necessarily mean anything will change anytime soon. Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), a cannabis advocacy group, expects rescheduling to take years or even decades.
The process is intentionally designed to be slow and laborious, with mechanisms in place that allow opponents to drag it out indefinitely. "If parties want to drag this process out, the mechanisms exist within the administrative process that allow them to do so nearly indefinitely," Armentano said.
Former allies of Trump, including Bill Barr, are now joining forces with anti-cannabis groups like Smart Approaches to Marijuana to challenge the rescheduling plan. These opponents argue that cannabis-based drugs are safer and less addictive than alcohol and tobacco, which are not scheduled at all.
In reality, rescheduling may do little more than give corporations an upper hand in the industry by maintaining restrictive regulations. Corey Coleman, co-founder of Sky High Brands, believes descheduling is the answer to regulatory issues, but acknowledges that it hasn't happened yet.
As the formal rulemaking process continues, opponents are gearing up for a prolonged battle over cannabis rescheduling. The question remains: will Trump's plan actually make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans who use cannabis? Or will it remain smoke and mirrors, fueling division rather than progress?
President Donald Trump recently ordered the Department of Justice to fast-track the rescheduling of cannabis, a move that promised to open doors for research and cut red tape for businesses and consumers. However, behind the scenes, opponents within the administration and conservative groups are fueling resistance to the plan, casting doubt on whether it will ever materialize.
Under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), drugs are categorized into five schedules based on their potential for harm and medical use. Schedule I substances, like heroin and LSD, are tightly controlled, while Schedule V substances, such as Lyrica, are seen as less harmful. The CSA's scheduling system is notoriously restrictive when it comes to cannabis, which has been lumped into Schedule I despite being used by nearly 20 million Americans.
In December, Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to complete the rulemaking process related to rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III of the CSA in the most expeditious manner. However, insiders say that language like "most expeditious manner" may not necessarily mean anything will change anytime soon. Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), a cannabis advocacy group, expects rescheduling to take years or even decades.
The process is intentionally designed to be slow and laborious, with mechanisms in place that allow opponents to drag it out indefinitely. "If parties want to drag this process out, the mechanisms exist within the administrative process that allow them to do so nearly indefinitely," Armentano said.
Former allies of Trump, including Bill Barr, are now joining forces with anti-cannabis groups like Smart Approaches to Marijuana to challenge the rescheduling plan. These opponents argue that cannabis-based drugs are safer and less addictive than alcohol and tobacco, which are not scheduled at all.
In reality, rescheduling may do little more than give corporations an upper hand in the industry by maintaining restrictive regulations. Corey Coleman, co-founder of Sky High Brands, believes descheduling is the answer to regulatory issues, but acknowledges that it hasn't happened yet.
As the formal rulemaking process continues, opponents are gearing up for a prolonged battle over cannabis rescheduling. The question remains: will Trump's plan actually make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans who use cannabis? Or will it remain smoke and mirrors, fueling division rather than progress?
... I mean, can't we just get on with rescheduling cannabis already?! It feels like nobody's actually working towards changing the laws. And what's with all these "mechanisms" that supposedly allow opponents to slow down the process? It's just a bunch of bureaucratic red tape 
. Trump makes this big announcement and now it seems like nobody's going to take action because... well, they're not taking action 
. Meanwhile, we've got millions of people in the US who use cannabis for medicinal purposes or just because and they deserve better treatment. I swear, this is all just a bunch of smoke and mirrors (no pun intended) 
. Come on, let's get some real progress here!
... like trump said we're gonna fast track rescheduling but it feels like they're just messing with us 
... why can't we just get some real change 
... i heard armentano sayin' it could take years or decades to actually make a difference 
... that's crazy 
... and now former allies are joinin in with anti-cannabis groups 
... like what even is the point? 
. i mean, you'd think that with all the push for reform, we'd have seen some real change by now. but honestly, it feels like we're just going through the motions. like, rescheduling cannabis to schedule III might not make a huge difference if corporations are still gonna be all about maintaining those restrictive regulations 
. and then there's these former allies of trump joining forces with anti-cannabis groups... that's some sketchy stuff 
.
. The system is designed to be slow and laborious, and now we're seeing former allies of Trump joining forces with anti-cannabis groups to slow things down even more 
. Maybe it's because I think that by getting stuck on the details, we can actually have a better plan for the future 
. And let's not forget that millions of Americans are already using cannabis safely and responsibly - maybe this is just an opportunity to educate people more about its benefits and risks 
.
, but I'm holding out hope that something amazing will come out of this 
. Who knows, maybe one day we'll look back on this moment and think "aha! That's when everything changed!" 
. i mean, we all know the gov is all about keeping things slow and controlled 
. newsflash: it's still weed, not a magic cure 
. descheduling would be the real game changer 
, but we ain't there yet 
so Trump thinks he can just "magic" away all the problems with cannabis scheduling 
. I mean, even if he does reschedule it to Schedule III, which is still kinda restrictive, it's not gonna make a difference for the everyday people who just wanna chill with their ganja 
. And don't even get me started on all these opponents trying to drag it out like they're playing some kinda bureaucratic poker game 
. Meanwhile, the corporations are just gonna sit back and collect their profits without any real changes happening 
. It seems like politics is just as slow-moving as the actual process of rescheduling cannabis 
️. If Trump really wants to make a difference, he needs to get his own house in order before trying to push change on others 
. The fact that experts are saying it could take years or even decades for rescheduling to happen is just ridiculous 
.
. It's time for some serious reform and not just token gestures 
.
.
– can we really say that this plan is gonna make a difference or is it just another empty promise? 
. And what's with all the former allies of Trump joining forces with anti-cannabis groups? It feels like they're more interested in slowing things down than actually making progress 
. Can't we just have an honest conversation about cannabis and its benefits? 
The fact that Trump's plan is being derailed by his former allies and anti-cannabis groups is just ridiculous. It's all about politics as usual and playing to their interests 
.
.
. The government's all, "Hey, we're gonna make some changes!" 
.
, but then you gotta fill in those gaps 
. And trust me, there are gonna be a lot of people trying to slow this thing down 
. I mean, who wouldn't want to keep the status quo? 
️. I don't know about that 
.
The government's gotta make some real moves 
what happens next