US Department of Justice has officially reclassified cannabis as less dangerous • Hacker News Board

Re: US Department of Justice has officially reclassified cannabis as less dangerous

#41

Post by setgree » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 2:48 PM UTC

Every so often the Trump administration seems like they might actually care about getting my vote. A recent executive order making it easier to do research on psychedelic therapy is another example [0]. A policy shift to reform IRB review for social and behavioral science [1] would be really targeted at me.

I know politics is hard to talk about, but I generally think that we underappreciate the importance of being agentic in politics. Obviously I prefer that our government follow the law and uphold the constitution. But the many ways in which the current administration got things done by being quick, by "flooding the zone" [2], and by using tactics that apparently no one noticed before [3-4] are worthy of study and emulation.

I know the obvious response to this is to note that a lot of what they're doing is illegal, and again, I think that's bad. But they really make the current Democratic leadership seem out of touch and old [5] by comparison. Combined with policy positions that are far from the median voter's [6], it doesn't make for a winning look/platform.

[0] https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/04/acce...

[1] https://www.cspicenter.com/p/its-time-to-review-the-institut...

[2] https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2025/02/tr...

[3] https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/10/27/russell-vought...

[4] https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/03/16/the-unmaking-o...

[5] https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/the-democrat...

[6] https://www.slowboring.com/p/the-median-voter-is-a-50-someth...

Re: US Department of Justice has officially reclassified cannabis as less dangerous

#42

Post by lenerdenator » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 2:48 PM UTC

bombcar wrote: post #34

rkozik1989 wrote: post #4

This is ultimately a good thing, but as a country we also need to talk about the effects of cannabis use on neurodivergent folks. Its not as harmful as other drugs but also isn't really a good coping mechanism. Especially if you're neurodivergent and deal with depression. What I've seen being in/out of partial hospitalization programs is that people just don't realize that heavy cannabis is actually causing/prolongin…

There's a general and larger question than just "weed for autists" that needs to be discussed - and it touches on large amounts of the population and "freedoms". We've seen from the gambling legalization, drug legalization, and even things like loot boxes, etc, that there is a subset of the population who just cannot handle these things at a level most people would consider "responsible". We last had this nation-wide…

Unfortunately, you'll never get it to where people aren't going to become addicts to these things. You can only reduce harms by regulation and social support.

Gambling is a decent example of where we've lost touch with this in the last decade. In my state, it used to be that if you wanted to play games of pure chance, you had to go to a physical casino, present an ID, and be subject to the rules and regulations of the state which were enforced by actual state LEOs who were always on-premises. If you wanted to, you could sign an affidavit that would ban you from the casino floor on the risk of a misdemeanor trespassing charge.

Now, you can open an app on your phone and place sports bets. There's no harm reduction at all. The apps are designed to be as addictive as possible, minors can sign in under their adult guardians' accounts, and there's no way to ban yourself from the apps. It's destroying people's finances from a very young age.

That's what happens when you don't regulate on the rationale that regulations keep line from going up.

Re: US Department of Justice has officially reclassified cannabis as less dangerous

#43

Post by Throaway199999 » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 2:49 PM UTC

setgree wrote: post #41

Every so often the Trump administration seems like they might actually care about getting my vote. A recent executive order making it easier to do research on psychedelic therapy is another example [0]. A policy shift to reform IRB review for social and behavioral science [1] would be really targeted at me. I know politics is hard to talk about, but I generally think that we underappreciate the importance of being ag…

I agree as a political science grad. In hindsight, the only surprising thing about Trump's rise to power was that WE were surprised. Trump was doing the #1 thing politicians are supposed to do; tell the people what they want to hear. Our establishment is just so out-of-touch with reality and in love with the status quo that they can't change.

Re: US Department of Justice has officially reclassified cannabis as less dangerous

#44

Post by DoneWithAllThat » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 2:49 PM UTC

panja wrote: post #39

mlinhares wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Still boggles my mind the previous administration had the power to do that and did nothing.

I don't think this is a completely fair characterization: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_policy_of_the_Biden_a...

Your link does nothing to address OP’s claim. Reclassifying marijuana requires only the stroke of the president’s pen. Biden chose not to do that.

Re: US Department of Justice has officially reclassified cannabis as less dangerous

#45

Post by Throaway199999 » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 2:50 PM UTC

jdrormdj wrote: post #38

oompydoompy74 wrote: post #12

Regulating human consumption of anything that grows from the ground is absolutely ridiculous. It’s an affront to the natural order. At the minimum, nobody should have the ability to tell me I can’t buy seeds and grow a plant for my own personal consumption.

Human consumption of potatos is also strongly regulated. You can not just grow and eat potatoes, without paying taxes!

Is there a potato-eating-tax I didn't know about? I better call my accountant...

Re: US Department of Justice has officially reclassified cannabis as less dangerous

#46

Post by lenerdenator » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 2:51 PM UTC

mlinhares wrote: post #3

ezfe wrote: post #2

Only cannabis that is prescribed medically or in an FDA-approved product: > Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday changed the classifications of products containing marijuana that are covered by the Food and Drug Administration or that have received a state medical-marijuana licence. They will move from a Schedule I narcotic like heroin to a Schedule III drug - on par with Tylenol with codeine. > He also c…

Still boggles my mind the previous administration had the power to do that and did nothing.

That's not true. Biden started this process, and it has continued into the Trump administration.

Re: US Department of Justice has officially reclassified cannabis as less dangerous

#47

Post by jdrormdj » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 2:51 PM UTC

Throaway199999 wrote: post #45

jdrormdj wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Human consumption of potatos is also strongly regulated. You can not just grow and eat potatoes, without paying taxes!

Is there a potato-eating-tax I didn't know about? I better call my accountant...

It produces CO2. We cull millions of cows for this reason!

Re: US Department of Justice has officially reclassified cannabis as less dangerous

#48

Post by Throaway199999 » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 2:51 PM UTC

lenerdenator wrote: post #42

bombcar wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a general and larger question than just "weed for autists" that needs to be discussed - and it touches on large amounts of the population and "freedoms". We've seen from the gambling legalization, drug legalization, and even things like loot boxes, etc, that there is a subset of the population who just cannot handle these things at a level most people would consider "responsible". We last had this nation-wide…

Unfortunately, you'll never get it to where people aren't going to become addicts to these things. You can only reduce harms by regulation and social support. Gambling is a decent example of where we've lost touch with this in the last decade. In my state, it used to be that if you wanted to play games of pure chance, you had to go to a physical casino, present an ID, and be subject to the rules and regulations of th…

Yes, previous regulation was built on the principle that we actually did understand the risks, as rational adults, and so we would have reasonable protections but in for people around those.

Today's regulation seems to be dependent on the principle of not talking about risks at all.

Re: US Department of Justice has officially reclassified cannabis as less dangerous

#49

Post by Throaway199999 » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 2:53 PM UTC

jdrormdj wrote: post #47

Throaway199999 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there a potato-eating-tax I didn't know about? I better call my accountant...

It produces CO2. We cull millions of cows for this reason!

Because they eat potatoes?

Re: US Department of Justice has officially reclassified cannabis as less dangerous

#50

Post by kube-system » Thu, Apr 23, 2026, 2:53 PM UTC

jdrormdj wrote: post #38

oompydoompy74 wrote: post #12

Regulating human consumption of anything that grows from the ground is absolutely ridiculous. It’s an affront to the natural order. At the minimum, nobody should have the ability to tell me I can’t buy seeds and grow a plant for my own personal consumption.

Human consumption of potatos is also strongly regulated. You can not just grow and eat potatoes, without paying taxes!

No, they are loosely regulated.