President Joe Biden (D) “has always” supported legalizing cannabis for medicinal purposes, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a briefing on Friday. The statement came days after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a historic recommendation to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that cannabis be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law.
“The president asked the secretary of HHS and also the attorney general to initiate the administrative process to review how marijuana is scheduled,” Jean-Pierre said.
“The administration’s process is an independent process — I want to be very clear on that — that is led by HHS and DOJ. It is going to be very much guided by evidence,” she said. “I’m not going to comment on that. I want to be also clear on that piece. So I would refer you all to HHS.”
Notably — and despite Jean-Pierre’s statements — President Biden has not “always” supported the reform of cannabis laws. As noted by Marijuana Moment, the president has championed many pieces of anti-drug legislation throughout his political career, including efforts to ramp up drug war enforcement in the 1990s. (Full Story)