Activate News August 31st, 2023 ProudBoys, Marijuana, MigrantFamilies

Activate News for Thursday, August 31st, 2023

Activate News is your independent source for news, free from the influence of corporations. We’re an all-volunteer radio station that originated at Occupy Boston, and we’re committed to bringing you the news that matters.

Here are some of the stories we’re covering today:

• Proud Boys leader Biggs sentenced to 17 years for Capitol riot
• HHS recommends rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III
• Massachusetts activates National Guard to help migrant families
• EVENTS

Tune in at the top of the hour on Activate Radio to hear the latest from Activate News. You can find us online at activatemedia.org.

We hope you’ll join us!

EVENTS

HHS Recommends Rescheduling Marijuana to Schedule III

A senior official at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has called for easing restrictions on marijuana by reclassifying it as a Schedule III substance.

Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, the most restrictive category, which means it is considered to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use.

The HHS recommendation, which was sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), would move marijuana to Schedule III, which includes drugs with a moderate potential for abuse and accepted medical use.

The DEA will have the final say on whether to reschedule marijuana, and it is expected to take several months to make a decision.

If the DEA agrees to reschedule marijuana, it would open up more avenues for research, allow cannabis businesses to bank more freely and openly, and have firms no longer subject to a 40-year-old tax code that disallows credits and deductions from income generated by sales of Schedule I and II substances.

However, the rescheduling would not make marijuana legal on the federal level. That would require an act of Congress.

The HHS recommendation is a significant step forward in the effort to destigmatize marijuana and expand its medical and recreational use. It is also a victory for the cannabis industry, which has been lobbying for years for the drug to be rescheduled.

The DEA is expected to make a decision on the HHS recommendation in the coming months.

In the meantime, marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but it is legal for recreational or medical use in 38 states and the District of Columbia.

** This piece was created with the help of ai.