The year 2023 brought a mixed bag of federal developments in the marijuana space—marked by historic news such as the Biden administration’s rescheduling recommendation and pardon expansion, as well as setbacks on the congressional path to enacting cannabis banking reform.
And with Congress now in recess for the holiday season, advocates and stakeholders are left to reflect on the ups and downs of the past year, with hopes of building on their work in 2024.
While the review into cannabis scheduling that President Joe Biden directed last year is still underway, arguably the biggest news of the year has been the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’s (HHS) reported recommendation to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
Part of Biden’s directive last year also involved issuing a mass pardon for people who’ve committed federal marijuana possession offenses—an act of clemency that he renewed and expanded at the end of 2023.
But these are far from the only major developments of this year, which also saw numerous cannabis bills filed by bipartisan congressional lawmakers—albeit, with limited movement as supporters kept focus on the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act.
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