Why Bernie Sanders’ marijuana proposal would be a big deal

By: Christopher Ingraham

Bernie Sanders has been hinting for months now that he'll have more to say on marijuana in the 2016 election. Tonight, it looks like he'll finally say it.

Sanders will call for marijuana to be removed from the Drug Enforcement Administration's schedule of controlled substances. Doing so would be a big deal for marijuana policy in this country. While it wouldn't legalize marijuana at the federal level per se, it would allow states to pursue their own marijuana policies free of most federal interference. The DEA classifies marijuana as a schedule 1 drug because it says that the drug has no medically accepted use and high potential for abuse. It's regulated more tightly than other drugs that are far more deadly and less medically useful, like cocaine, opium and methamphetamines.

Here are seven things that would change if marijuana were removed from the DEA's schedule:

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