Health Care — Biden formally moves to reclassify marijuana

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View Online Health Care Health Care The Big Story  Biden announces DOJ marijuana move  The Justice Department (DOJ) took a major step towards rescheduling marijuana, formally starting the process to move the drug to a less restrictive Schedule III designation.  © AP "This is monumental. Today my administration took a major step to reclassify marijuana from a schedule one drug to a schedule three drug. It's an important move toward reversing long-standing inequities," President Biden said in a video shared on social platform X.      "Today's announcement builds on the work we've already done to pardon a record number of federal offenses for simple possession of marijuana. And it adds to the action we've taken to lift barriers to housing, employment, small business loans, and so much more for tens of thousands of Americans," he added.    The Drug Enforcement Administration submitted a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register on Thursday, triggering a 60-day public comment period. There is no set deadline to publish a final rule once the comment period closes.    Marijuana is still illegal under federal law. But a Schedule III designation will remove marijuana from being classified in the same category as heroin or LSD. The current Schedule I designation means the drug has no proven medical value and a high potential for abuse.    Complete decriminalization of marijuana could be accomplished through Congress with legislation removing the drug from the Controlled Substances Act. Some Senate Democrats, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) are advocating for such legislation.    The announcement follows last month's official recommendation from the DOJ to the White House to proceed with rescheduling.     Marijuana and drug policy experts have been underwhelmed by the White House's aim of rescheduling, saying it doesn't go far enough to address the issues surrounding marijuana's criminalization. They argue there is no effort to deal with the disconnect between the federal prohibition and the fact that it's completely legal in many states.   Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Hogan backs codifying Roe v. Wade, calls himself 'pro-choice' Former Maryland Gov. 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Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: Kansas jilts CVS in new Medicaid contract awards (Healthcare Dive)  Addiction treatment homes say Montana's funding fixes don't go far enough (KFF Health News)  Here's what's holding back Medicaid expansion in Mississippi and other Southern states (NPR)  What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: The only tribal medical school in the U.S. graduates its first Native American doctors (Stat)  More workers are cheating on drug tests (The Wall Street Journal)  Medics at UCLA protest say police weapons drew blood and cracked bones (USA Today)  What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: Gorsuch, Alito break from conservatives on CFPB ruling Two of the Supreme Court's most conservative justices broke away from other right-leaning members of the nation's high court in a decision to preserve … Read more At least 9 GOP lawmakers are at Trump trial, which could be a problem for Republicans At least nine Republican lawmakers traveled to New York to appear in court alongside former President Trump on Thursday, the latest in a string of … Read more What People Think  Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: Our underappreciated care workforce is getting a boost but deserves more  We invest in our military to prevent attacks — why not also invest in preventing the next pandemic?    You're all caught up. 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