Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) filed its formal objection to the Biden Administration’s proposed rescheduling of marijuana as part of the public comment period that closed on Monday, July 22, 2024.


SAM’s formal objection to the proposed rule explains that efforts to reschedule marijuana have been rejected multiple times in the past. “To change course now and reschedule marijuana, DEA (or the Attorney General) would have to provide a detailed justification explaining why the consistent analysis of the government over the past five decades holding that the statutory criteria require controlling marijuana under Schedule I is no longer accurate or applicable.” 


The comment also addresses the flawed recommendation issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), stating: “In addition, DEA would have to provide evidence of a sea change in the approach of physicians with respect to marijuana to establish that marijuana now has a ‘currently accepted medical use’ (CAMU) in the United States. A finding as to a CAMU is critical, because marijuana cannot be moved out of Schedule I unless DEA finds that it has a CAMU. . . . HHS has completely failed to provide a reasoned explanation for multiple changes in its analysis that were necessary to yield the novel recommendation for rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III.” 


Click here to read our press statement


Click here to read our entire comment

Luke Niforatos, SAM EVP with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

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Sincerely,

Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) is an alliance of organizations and individuals dedicated to a health-first approach to marijuana policy. We are professionals working in mental health and public health. We are bipartisan. We are medical doctors, lawmakers, treatment providers, preventionists, teachers, law enforcement officers and others who seek a middle road between incarceration and legalization. Our commonsense, third-way approach to marijuana policy is based on reputable science and sound principles of public health and safety.