Did I hear something moving in the closet? Nope. Just the sound of cannabis consumers once again being told to wait outside while the adults talk.
That’s basically the message behind a new push from NORML, which is asking for a seat at the table during the upcoming federal marijuana rescheduling hearing tied to the Drug Enforcement Administration. According to NORML, if the government is going to debate the future of cannabis laws, the people actually using cannabis should probably be allowed in the room. Wild concept, right?
The hearing centers around the proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law. That shift could have huge consequences for taxes, research, business operations, and the way cannabis is treated nationwide. But NORML says there’s a glaring problem with the process so far: consumers, patients, and everyday advocates are barely represented.
Instead, the conversation risks turning into a closed-door policy fight between government agencies, lawyers, and industry insiders while the people who spent decades getting arrested, stigmatized, or fighting for medical access get shoved into the background like old winter coats in the closet.
NORML argues that cannabis users bring firsthand experience the government desperately needs to hear. Patients know how cannabis affects their quality of life. Consumers understand the realities of legalization on the ground. Advocates have watched states build workable systems while federal officials still act like they’re solving a mystery from 1973.
And honestly, they have a point. The cannabis movement wasn’t built by lobbyists in expensive suits. It was built by patients, activists, legacy growers, and regular people who kept pushing long before corporations smelled profit. Now that rescheduling could finally happen, shutting those voices out would be like inviting everyone to a barbecue except the people who cooked the food.
The DEA hearing could become one of the biggest federal cannabis moments in years. Whether it leads to meaningful reform or just another layer of bureaucracy remains to be seen. But NORML’s message is simple: if cannabis consumers helped force this conversation into existence, they deserve representation when the decisions get made.
Because if the closet door is rattling again, it might just be decades of ignored cannabis consumers trying to finally get let into the room.
Dabbin-Dad Newsroom
