1. United States
2. Vt.
3. Letter

I had high hopes when President Biden took office, that he would quickly move to remove cannabis from the FDA’s Schedule 1 list. Unfortunately, this has not happened. It would take literally less than 15 minutes for an executive order to occur, which would remove the onus of cannabis convictions from thousands of Americans. It would open cannabis research opportunities to American Universities and healthcare facilities. It is beyond hypocritical that the USDA has approved Epidiolex, Marino, Syndros, and Cesamet, which are all cannabis-derived or cannabis-related medications, while the actual plant still resides on the FDA Schedule 1 list, which is, by definition, “drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse” - both of which have been proven to be untrue. We have ample research that demonstrates the medical benefits of cannabis from international research centers. We now approach an election year, in which anything can happen. I encourage Congress to create and pass a bill, and/or President Biden to issue an Executive Order, removing cannabis from the Schedule 1 list. Time is of the essence.