Biden Administration: Give Us More Insight On Marijuana Rescheduling Decision, Congressional Committee Says

Members of a House committee are seeking more input from the Biden administration on how it decided to reschedule marijuana.

The House Appropriations Committee is currently evaluating the 2025 Fiscal Year spending bills, resulting in a series of reports that address cannabis-related issues, according to Marijuana Moment.

That said, the committee, led by Congressional Republicans, passed a controversial spending bill on Tuesday with provisions aimed at obstructing the rescheduling of marijuana under federal law, as highlighted by Benzinga's Maureen Meehan.

The appropriations legislation specifically prevents the Department of Justice from reallocating funds to either reschedule or deschedule marijuana as discussions to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act are ongoing.

Cannabis rescheduling seems to be right around the corner. Want to understand what this means for the future of the industry? Hear directly for top executives, investors and policymakers at the 19th Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, coming to Chicago this Oct. 8-9. Get your tickets now before prices surge by following this link.

Read Also: Cannabis Rescheduling: When Will It Happen? Expert Lays Out Timeline, Risks And Wild Cards

Furthermore, a report for the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (Ag/FDA) appropriations bill directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make clear to Congress the FDA's 2023 scientific review into cannabis resulting in a Schedule III reclassification recommendation.

"The Committee directs the HHS Inspector General to complete a report on the 2023 marijuana scheduling review including but not limited to: deviations from the established five-factor currently accepted medical use test, justification for a new, two-factor currently accepted medical use test and whether this will be the standard for all future reviews, use of a limited number of hand-selected comparator substances, and inclusion of research results that are not statistically significant or inconclusive," the document said.

Similar sections are included in the reports for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LaborH) spending bill and the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) appropriations bill, which also addressed the impaired driving issue.

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