President Donald Trump was accused on Thursday by Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) of misstating the process behind his marijuana policymaking.
Trump reportedly plans to issue an executive order directing federal drug agencies to downgrade marijuana from a Schedule I drug—a classification reserved for the most dangerous and illegal substances with no recognized medical use—to Schedule III. This category includes substances such as anabolic steroids and certain moderate painkillers. Notably, this is a rare policy area where Trump aligns with former President Joe Biden, who also instructed federal officials to evaluate rescheduling marijuana.
Earlier this week, Trump told reporters that he had not spoken with any GOP senators who oppose his decision. However, Budd, one of the most vocal opponents of marijuana rescheduling in the Senate, claims he did in fact speak with Trump about the issue. According to Punchbowl News reporter Andrew Desiderio, Budd said, “I don’t want it to be for the lack of me calling. I called him personally Friday last week and let him know. He said that others had been calling him on the issue. I was aware of people calling him then — against rescheduling. So I knew that my colleagues had been calling him.”
Senator Budd is the author of an open letter signed by 21 other Republican senators, urging Trump not to proceed with deregulating marijuana. In recent years, marijuana has become legal for recreational use in around half of all U.S. states and for specific medical uses in most states.
In the letter, Budd argued, “Rescheduling marijuana to a Schedule III drug will undermine your strong efforts to Make America Great Again and to usher in America’s next economic Golden Age. The only winners from rescheduling will be bad actors such as Communist China, while Americans will be left paying the bill.” He also warned of a “link” between marijuana use and mass shootings.
https://www.rawstory.com/ted-budd-2674715003/
