• Because the DEA doesn’t have the legal authority to do that. Congress laid out the criteria for scheduling drugs in the Controlled Substances Act and any reasonable person would say marijuana meets the criteria for at least schedule 5. Congress needs to do what they did for alcohol and nicotine and pass a law that specifically excludes marijuana.

    • @doctorcrimson
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      25 months ago

      I assume most are for rescheduling, or respecting state’s choice, or maybe they’re more concerned with systemic inequality and foreign genocide with US armaments.

      Also, though, the Biden Administration has been pushing for the DEA to reschedule marijuana for like 3 years…

      • @Anomaline@lemmy.world
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        55 months ago

        more concerned with systemic inequality and foreign genocide

        …what in this prevents them from doing their job and actually forwarding a pretty objectively good bill?

          • @doctorcrimson
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            -55 months ago

            Unironically, yes. They can’t be doing everything all at once when it takes their full power to even force topics to be discussed on the senate floor and write proposals. Every second that Bernie Sanders talks about weed, for example, would stop him from putting up pictures of Palestinian children begging for water.

        • @doctorcrimson
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          -45 months ago

          Their time? What do you think the senate is, they all just say whatever is on their mind and everybody votes for or against it on the spot?

      • @givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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        25 months ago

        or respecting state’s choice

        I’d love to hear the logic of how federal descheduling takes away a states choice…

        • @doctorcrimson
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          5 months ago

          The states have demonstrably had the choice to decriminalize Marijuana since 1973, not doing so by now can be seen as their choice to keep it a restricted substance.

          EDIT: To be clear, I’m explaining their thoughts on the subject, not agreeing with them.

          • @givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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            45 months ago

            If a state has zero laws about cannabis federal schedule makes it illegal

            And many of the states that haven’t legalized use the federal schedule as rational.to not legalize.

            If they want them illegal, they can pass a law making them illegal. That’s how it’s supposed to be work.

            Not states having to legalize something on a state level because the federal government claims it’s one of the most dangerous drugs in the country, but won’t actually enforce people flagrantly breaking the law…

            Have you ever tried reading anything about this? Like, ever?

            • @doctorcrimson
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              -25 months ago

              No, clearly I’ve never read anything ever, and in fact that 1973 date I gave in the previous comment was a random guess. /Very-Big-Sarcasm

      • @lolcatnip@reddthat.com
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        25 months ago

        Descheduling is respecting the states’ choices. Legalization at the national level doesn’t automatically make it legal in states.

  • @Buffaloaf@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Elizabeth Warren (Mass.),

    John Fetterman (Pa.)

    Chuck Schumer (N.Y.)

    Cory Booker (N.J.)

    Jeff Merkley (Ore.)

    Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.)

    Ron Wyden (Ore.)

    John Hickenlooper (Colo.)

    Peter Welch (Vt.)

    Chris Van Hollen (Md.)

    Alex Padilla (Calif.).

    Edit: and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)

      • @givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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        245 months ago

        He’s there.

        In a letter addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, 11 Democratic senators, along with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), argued the administration “should deschedule marijuana altogether.”

        They could have said “12 Senators…”

        But went with the option that excluded Bernie since he’s not a D.

          • @givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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            275 months ago

            He’s never been a D

            But he’s very open about how the two party system sucks and if he ran third party it would.only hurt progress

            So every election he runs in the democratic primary. And abides by the results.

            It’s why him wanting to stay till he was eliminated and getting called a “spoiler” is such bullshit. If Bernie really wanted to, he could have nuked any Dem candidate by running third party in the general.

    • @Lifecoach5000@lemmy.world
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      555 months ago

      If election theater motivates this policy and makes this happen then I’m all for it. I wonder what our criminal AG in Texas thinks about all this, considering he’s trying to do the opposite in cities with lax marijuana enforcement.

      • Urist
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        315 months ago

        Even if marijuana was descheduled, it would still be illegal due to Texas state law

        I think most states in which it is illegal would remain illegal. Many states would probably update their laws in response to the DEA descheduling it.

        • @ieatpillowtags@lemm.ee
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          275 months ago

          Many states have laws based on the federal schedule and don’t specifically name any drugs, so there would be some immediate effects.

        • @wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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          55 months ago

          If the law only references federal definitions of scheduled drugs, they would need to update their laws before this went into effect or else risk letting the population have legal weed for a short window, which likely would spur voters to try and regain their newly found drug

          • Urist
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            35 months ago

            Right, which is why I bothered to link Texas law, which references by name.

            My own state references it by name. I suspect many/most state marijuana laws predate the formation of the DEA but I’m not a historian/lawyer.

            • @wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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              45 months ago

              Sure texas is covered, but we got a lot of states. A ton are going to need proactive laws or else risk kicking a hornets nest in an election year

        • @aesthelete@lemmy.world
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          Many states would probably update their laws in response to the DEA descheduling it.

          Importantly too, they’d have to police it using their own state resources.

      • @Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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        75 months ago

        Biden does good thing

        Idiots: “He’s only doing this to get votes!”

        Yeah, no shit sherlock, that’s the whole point of the system.

      • Flying Squid
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        265 months ago

        Much lower considering rescheduling marijuana is a basic government act and not a ridiculously unlikely astronomical event. Also, it would gain Biden a lot of votes.

        • @bobs_monkey@lemm.ee
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          5 months ago

          Also, it would gain Biden a lot of votes.

          And send the theocracy into a rage in another dimension, one in which they wouldn’t be sure why their hair is falling out

        • originalucifer
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          35 months ago

          i was under the impression the president could unilaterally just order the DEA to do it as its under the executive. is that true?

          • Flying Squid
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            135 months ago

            As far as I understand it, the DEA has the independence to make the decision themselves and all the president can do is tell them what he wants.

            • sik0fewl
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              45 months ago

              Ya, it really should be legislated. I doubt that’s happening before November, though.

              • @Habahnow@sh.itjust.works
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                55 months ago

                Legislated implies Congress passing a law. That of course will not happen before the election, and likely not while Biden is president due to some Republicans being against the idea of legalization and also Republicans not wanting to give Biden nor Democrats a win. DEA resxheduling it is the most likely scenario that should hold up in court especially since Biden followed a process to support the change(asking for another department to review whether it is a dangerous drug, and using their response as evidence for the DEA)

            • Flying Squid
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              35 months ago

              It is, but Biden could be using the bully pulpit to talk about how it should be rescheduled and I think the only reason he hasn’t is because he’s old and he hasn’t been convinced yet that “reefer” is safe.

              • PugJesus
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                25 months ago

                Oh, I agree, he could be pushing much harder for it.

  • @conorm@feddit.uk
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    -1085 months ago

    how evil, maybe one day people will understand that marijuana, along with all the other drugs that people seem to think aren’t harmful despite having existed in our societies for 100 years, are a threat to individuals, the broader society, and deserve to be completely outlawed

      • @conorm@feddit.uk
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        -625 months ago

        the one’s that teach people that harmful substances are good lol, take your shite words and come back with an argument

          • @conorm@feddit.uk
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            -405 months ago

            less people would consume the prohibited substance because it’s not something that is required to live, and it would never have been something that appeared in culture if it weren’t permitted by people as it is now, the only reason that alcohol didnt work in the prohibition is because it was most people’s lifestyle to drink on occasions

            • ElleChaise
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              185 months ago

              Really? Because I’ve never lived in a place where cannabis is legal, and I’ve been consuming it near daily for about 19 years now.

            • @NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
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              135 months ago

              Okay, so it wasn’t DARE then, it was whatever brand of DARE your country has. You have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. If you aren’t a troll, then you really need to sit down and think about why you have the opinion of a 12 year old.

              • @conorm@feddit.uk
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                -245 months ago

                it takes no genius to simply search for answers and know that weed is linked to poor development if consumed during adolescence, and it also takes no genius to see how retarded frequent smokers of it get when they cant get any

                • @NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world
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                  165 months ago

                  Nobody is advocating for giving weed to children in this thread…

                  And you’re argument about frequent smokers being ‘retarded’ isn’t even true. I know plenty of people who smoke. You’re just making stuff up.

      • @conorm@feddit.uk
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        -605 months ago

        alcohol is because we’ve had it for thousands of years and it has been known to be fine when consumed in moderation (something 99% of people can do), whereas tobacco is not something that you can just “smoke on occasion”, it is exclusively smoked either by those trying it for the first time, or by those who are hooked already (not to mention the fact that alcohol is much worse than tobacco over a lifetime regardless)

        • karashta
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          415 months ago

          Then you should be fine with people smoking weed since there’s evidence of its use since 10,000 BC. About 7000 years before the creation of beer by the Egyptians

          • @sramder@lemmy.world
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            195 months ago

            Nonsense! God created the earth like 2000ish years ago, and the devils lettuce only grew because of your vile sins ;-)

          • @Habahnow@sh.itjust.works
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            125 months ago

            weed was not made in lab in the 90s. People continue to use weed now and have for a long time and yet it causes less problems than alcohol. Never has anybody died from consuming too much marijuana.if you’re arguing that alcohol is safe but weed isn’t, you are not being reasonable at all. People die from over consumption of alcohol, people get in fights and arguments, with alcohol. Weed is less likely to do all those things.

          • @conorm@feddit.uk
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            -535 months ago

            there is no evidence of it being consumed and not having negative benefits, unlike beer

            • @Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world
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              235 months ago

              Therapeutic Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids

              Chapter highlights:

              In adults with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, oral cannabinoids are effective antiemetics.

              In adults with chronic pain, patients who were treated with cannabis or cannabinoids are more likely to experience a clinically significant reduction in pain symptoms.

              In adults with multiple sclerosis (MS)-related spasticity, short-term use of oral cannabinoids improves patient-reported spasticity symptoms.

              Alcohol is literally poison, marijuana is not. Gtfo with your ignorance and fear mongering and do some research before you try to spread your lies

    • @forrgott@lemm.ee
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      185 months ago

      Well, you’re completely wrong. On so many levels.

      First, the majority of other people don’t obsess over finding things to be afraid of. You did not base your opinion on any kind of empirical evidence. You need something to be afraid of in other to justify your perspective, and drugs are an easy target. Second, with regards to hard drugs that do present a clear danger to the user, prohibition is not effective and never will be. Addiction is a medical issue. Criminalization denies the victim any realistic chance of rehabilitation, not to mention penalizing them in specific ways that will only be likely to increase their likelihood of abusing drugs in the future.

      Way to broadcast your lack of empathy for your fellow man

    • donuts
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      5 months ago

      If we are going to start outlawing things that could, in some very vague and abstract way, be considered “harmful”, then we would have to start banning many more things than just low-level drugs.

      Cannabis is a natural plant that has existed throughout the entirety of human history. Medicine to some, religion to others, recreation and inspiration for the rest. Likewise, cannabinoids are a natural chemical compound that can be found naturally in your body and the body of most living things on Earth. Cannabis makes us feel good because it just so happens to contain the same kinds of cannabinoids that our body produces, which also make us feel good.

      Cannabis might be addictive in the same way that anything pleasurable is addictive. But you don’t see people dying of cannabis overdoses, nor do you see people winding up on the streets with crippling cannabis addictions that overwhelm their entire life.

      It’s a safe, natural, and mild high, and there has never been any good reason for it to be illegal.

      edit: Oh, he’s just a troll. Whatever.

      • @theblueredditrefugee@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        05 months ago

        I’m all in favor of legalizing weed, and in fact I would like to abolish the prescription system in it’s entirety, however, I do think that the rhetoric of pro-weed ppl treats it like it’s entirely harmless, which is a dangerous sentiment.

        I went through some serious symptoms from long term use. The hemispheres of my brain split into 2 different ppl, my body’s sense of propioception got all fucked up, and I threw up a whole lot. Not fun. And my memory basically was shot from use, that lasted even after I stopped using. I originally started bc I couldn’t afford to see a psychiatrist and I needed antidepressants, it was the closest thing I could get (abolish the fking prescription system). I had no idea that it had any long term effects, the way ppl talk you think it’s only good. I mean I’m sure everyone’s different, but ppl at least need a warning abt that sort of shit.

        • @wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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          105 months ago

          Your bait is weak, and it goes nowhere immediately. Look how quickly you had to stoop to edgelord verbage to keep the hook.

          If youre going to troll, at least do it well. Its a fuckin embarassment to be a bad troll

            • @wildginger@lemmy.myserv.one
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              75 months ago

              See, like this. Youre already out of responses, and the thread is bare bones.

              You dont even get that Im baiting you into getting banned. Did you start doing this without reading any of your instances site rules?

              This is sloppy work, you need to step up your game.

              • @conorm@feddit.uk
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                -155 months ago

                i’ve been here for like 6 months lol, if i truly felt like the rules were an issue, i’d up and make my own server for it, but please do keep whining to your lord :)

        • Cadeillac
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          5 months ago

          Took time out of my day? TOOK TIME OUT OF MY DAY!?! This is my day. This is my whole week if I deem it entertaining enough. Maybe it’s because I’m all burnt out on weed, but I have nothing better to do, and replying to you is just as much fun as the expert trolling you think you are doing. I live here. I won’t leave until it is burned to the ground. If you want a competition of who can last the longest with out getting bored, then I hope you have diet soda and nuggies handy.

            • Cadeillac
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              45 months ago

              Sorry, I was just acting the part. Let me tone it down for you. No, I’m right because of the things I call facts and you can’t tell me otherwise because I’m just a troll

                • Cadeillac
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                  35 months ago

                  But but but, the things I see with my eyes are true, and you say the things you see are true, and that’s like totally opposites. How do we get to keep making facts with our eyes if every one sees it differently

    • bitwolf
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      25 months ago

      As opposed to the myriad of harmful substances that are legal?

      • @HandBreadedTools@lemmy.world
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        55 months ago

        No need for whataboutism here, the original statement you’re replying to is already demonstrably false. You can easily address their actual argument.