Colorado Gov. Jared Polis recently sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Sept. 5 regarding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recommendation for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to reschedule cannabis from a Schedule I substance to a Schedule III substance.
According to The Gazette, Polis’ letter addressed this recommendation, and applauded Biden on leading an administration toward progress. “We are pleased to hear that you have recently received Health and Human Services’s (HHS) recommendation to move cannabis to Schedule III,” Polis began in his letter. “It’s about time.”
“This is an historic moment and we owe you and your administration a debt of gratitude for your leadership on catching up with where the science is,” Polis continued. “Cannabis’ current classification under federal law as a Schedule I drug is contradicted by the scientific evidence. The notion, as previously considered, that cannabis has no accepted medical use, a high potential for abuse, and no accepted safety standards even under medical supervision has been widely disproven, HHS’s recommendation is evidence-based and a move in the right direction.”
He continues that he offers his “enthusiastic support” while the country waits for the DEA to respond, but in the meantime, urges the president to begin thinking about what else needs to be done to make moving cannabis to Schedule III ideal for cannabis businesses. “I ask you to simultaneously consider a few next steps in the near future by showing your support for access to banking for the state-regulated marketplace, reduced criminal penalties for possession and distribution of cannabis, addressing immigration-related consequences and enforcement discretion from FDA,” Polis wrote.
Polis also addresses the issues that still need to be resolved, such as banking. He wrote that if cannabis becomes a Schedule III substance, banks would be free to serve cannabis businesses and that tax code 280E would no longer be necessary. “The most efficient way to address these public health risks is to displace the illicit marketplace and replace it with a legal, safe, regulated, and age-verified system,” Polis continued. “But we can only do that by promoting federal policies that allow for profitability in these well-established state-regulated marketplaces. That equates to [Internal Revenue Code] Section 280E reform and access to traditional banking services.”
Polis noted that rescheduling cannabis will become a hallmark accomplishment of Biden’s term as president. “Your administration will soon be credited with saving hundreds of thousands of jobs and significant tax revenue for the states when DEA solidifies FDA’s recommendation,” Polis writes. “While federal prohibition continues, more than three-fourths of the states have legalized medicinal marijuana, and more than 20 have legalized marijuana for adult use.”
“Let’s celebrate this progress and work together to finish the job,” his letter to Biden concluded. “We greatly appreciate your leadership, and please come visit Colorado again soon.”
AI
