WASHINGTON — Five states will vote next week on whether to join the 21 states and territories that have legalized recreational marijuana for adults. But the federal government is still stuck on whether to remove the plant from Schedule I of the federal drug code — a category reserved for highly addictive substances with no medical benefit.
The Biden administration’s Oct. 6 announcement that it would revisit that classification comes after previous, years-long reviews of marijuana’s categorization fell flat, and experts are split on whether things might be different this time.
“If history is to serve as any precedent, I wouldn’t count on this review being wrapped up at a time when there is still a Biden administration,” said Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
