Senator Gillibrand Urges Biden Administration To Deschedule Marijuana: 'It's A Medical Issue And It's A Public Safety Issue'

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is calling on the Biden administration to deschedule cannabis.

During a Sunday press conference, Gillibrand urged the Attorney General and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to remove cannabis from the list of controlled substances. 

At the moment, marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, meaning it has no accepted medical value and has high abuse potential. Other substances that fall under this category include heroin, LSD, ecstasy, etc.

"Descheduling marijuana from the Controlled Substance Act is not just a social justice issue, it's an economic issue, it's a medical issue and it's a public safety issue," Gillibrand said, according to CNYCentral. 

Last August, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended the DEA to reclassify cannabis to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III would acknowledge some of its medical values and make it the same type of substance as Tylenol, ketamine, anabolic steroids and testosterone.

Gillibrand, however, doesn't think this is enough.

"It doesn't do the decriminalization, it doesn't expunge records," the senator said. "It doesn't right the wrongs of the past, and that's why descheduling is so important."

Her colleague, Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) agreed.

"No one should have to wear a cannabis conviction like a scarlet letter," Nadler said. "True justice can only be achieved by scheduling marijuana entirely."

Gillibrand further confirmed that the reform would be challenging. "There's stigma still. And there is also a generational challenge," she said. "And, they don't understand the opportunities and the uses." 

"The Schedule 1 classification of marijuana has not only been damaging to black and brown communities, it has also hampered the research," Gillibrand pointed out.

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Photo: Benzinga edit with images by US Senate Photography via Wikimedia Commons and pashabo via Shutterstock