DES MOINES, Iowa — On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) formally moved to reclassify marijuana as a "less dangerous drug".
The Drug Enforcement Administration now has a public comment period open, but if the DEA approves the proposed rule, marijuana would be reclassified from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids.
The DOJ's historic decision opens the door for states to decriminalize and accept marijuana more across the country.
Here in Iowa, the drug remains illegal recreationally, and some state leaders believe it's not the time to have this discussion of potentially legalizing marijuana.
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R) told Local 5 News in a statement, “America has a dangerous mental health crisis and a life-threatening drug epidemic, driven in part by fentanyl pouring over our wide open southern border. Is this new Biden proposal to make drugs more accessible really the right message at the right time? A major shift in U.S. drug policy shouldn’t be motivated by election year politics.”
Fellow U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R) added, “As co-chair of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, I’ve long believed that any decision regarding marijuana use ought to be well-reasoned, thoroughly studied, and made in Americans’ best interest. I’ll be closely studying DOJ’s recently proposed rule.”
Three states bordering Iowa have recently legalized recreational, adult-use marijuana, including Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri.
In 2023, adult-use cannabis sales surpassed $1 billion in Missouri, and in Illinois, the state set a third straight year of record sales in the same year at $1.6 billion.
Although marijuana supports economic growth, critics argue the DOJ's proposed rule isn't necessary and note the drug could still have harmful side effects.
The Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy declined to comment at this time. All U.S. representatives from Iowa and Gov. Kim Reynolds' office did not respond to Local 5's request for a statement.
However, in 2019, Reynolds told The Gazette she did not support recreational marijuana and added, “I won't be the governor to do that.” She told Local 5 last year her stance had not moved on this topic.