The inauguration of President Elect Joe Biden is set for January 20, 2021. His presidency and the new year haven’t even begun, but there is already pressure on his office to reschedule cannabis. There’s also additional mounting pressure to decriminalize possession on the federal level.

Rapper Killer Mike

One long-outspoken supporter and activist of legalization is Rap Artist Killer Mike. He challenged the President-Elect to reschedule cannabis on day one. In an interview with TMZ, the artist said that he is putting pressure on the President-Elect. Killer Mike wants Biden to do what Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said he was going to do during his short run for presidency. 

“[Senator Sanders] would have descheduled it the first day of his presidency,” Killer Mike said. “You have the power of that pen to invoke things like gun laws. You should have the power of that pen to take it off the Schedule I list so that, if nothing else, it is decriminalized to the point that kids’ lives aren’t being ruined today.” Killer Mike previously served as a campaign surrogate for Senator Sanders early in the year. He continues to be a huge supporter of the senator.

President-Elect Biden’s Stance

President-Elect Biden hasn’t made cannabis reform and rescheduling a primary platform of his campaign. He stated he isn’t looking to remove cannabis from harsh drug scheduling. However, he is looking to change the drug from a Schedule I, the harshest schedule, to a Schedule II. This would still consider cannabis a controlled substance with a high potential for addiction and psychological damage. However, cannabis would be accepted in medical practice. Other Schedule II drugs include hydrocodone, oxycodone, and fentanyl. All of these are for pain management in the medical industry.

Whether President-Elect Biden follows through with the rescheduling of Cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule II is unknown. It will definitely be further down the road than some supports are hoping for, but the potential for the change is there.

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