Attorney General Steve Marshall of Alabama has joined a coalition of 11 states in opposing the Biden Administration's proposal to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act. The coalition submitted a public comment letter in response to the Department of Justice’s Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) regarding the proposed change.
The 40-page comment letter outlines several reasons why the rescheduling of marijuana by the DOJ is considered unlawful and ill-advised by the coalition. Attorney General Marshall stated, "The Biden-Harris administration’s rush to legalize marijuana is outside the bounds of the DOJ’s authority and will lead to disastrous consequences. This is not the first time this Administration has failed to ‘follow the science’ in favor of a cheap ploy to desperately score some points with voters before November."
Marshall emphasized that both federal and Alabama law have long recognized marijuana's high potential for abuse, leading to its Schedule I classification. He cited concerns about its harmful effects on child and adolescent development, mental health conditions such as psychosis and schizophrenia, physical ailments like heart disease and cancer, and various secondary problems associated with expanded access.
According to Marshall, increased access to marijuana could lead to more severe motor vehicle accidents, challenges in enforcing laws against driving while intoxicated, rising homelessness and welfare dependence, reduced workplace productivity, and increases in anxiety and suicidal ideation. He also argued that marijuana does not reduce consumption of opioids or other hard drugs like cocaine and heroin.
The coalition includes attorneys general from Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, and South Dakota.