DEA Won’t Hold Hearing on Marijuana Reclassification Until After Presidential Election

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) won’t hold a hearing on whether to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous substance until after the November presidential election, AP reports.

The hearing will be on December 2, which raises the chances that marijuana reclassification could become a potential issue in the presidential race, the article notes. Vice President Kamala Harris has backed decriminalizing marijuana. She has said it is “absurd” to have it in the DEA’s Schedule I category, along with heroin and LSD.

This weekend, former President Donald Trump signaled support for a Florida measure to legalize marijuana. He made earlier comments that he increasingly agrees that people should not be jailed for marijuana, which is legal in multiple states, “whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

In May, the Justice Department proposed reclassifying marijuana. The agency said the change would recognize marijuana’s medical uses and acknowledge it has less potential for misuse than some of the most dangerous substances. The proposal would not legalize marijuana for recreational use.