International
Biden confirms his support to reclassify marijuana as a low-risk drug
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, confirmed his support for marijuana to be reclassified as a low-risk drug. And, in turn, he announced the official start of the procedures for the process to be completed.
Through a video on social media, the US president stated that “no one should be in jail simply for using or possessing marijuana” and that there were “too many disturned lives” for “a failed approach to marijuana.”
“I am committed to correcting those mistakes,” said the 81-year-old president, who will be eligible for re-election in the presidential elections next November and will presumably face former Republican President Donald Trump (2017-2021).
With this measure, Biden points to the young population at a time when the Democrat’s campaign is worried about losing much of his support for the unconditional help that the United States has given to Israel in the Gaza War.
A senior official of the Administration told the press that the formal step for reclassification has already been taken, the presentation of the Proposed Regulatory Notice (NPRM) to the Federal Registry Office (OFR) in which it is proposed that marijuana move from Annex I to III.
Currently, marijuana is classified at the same level as drugs such as fentanyl and methamphetamine, while with this change it is sought to be considered at the same level of risk of prescription drugs such as anabolic steroids.
The government source recalled that this step comes after, in 2022, Biden asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health to review how marijuana is classified, a process in which they were “guided by science and evidence.”
After the presentation of the NPRM, it will be published in the Federal Registry and a 60-day public comment period will then begin.
After that, the administrator of the United States Anti-Drug Agency (DEA), Anne Milgram, may assign an Administrative Law judge to make a final recommendation and, based on this, the DOJ must make a decision.
Since his arrival in the Government in January 2021, the official source recalls, Biden has opted to approve measures to prevent citizens from going to prison for possession of marijuana, including a pardon for federal crimes of possession.
Currently, marijuana with recreational uses and limited to those over 21 years of age is legal in 24 states. While marijuana for medicinal purposes is legal in 13 states, in addition to those where its use is allowed for pleasure.
On May 1, a group of Democratic senators re-presented a bill that seeks to decriminalize the use of marijuana at the federal level.
The initiative is unlikely to prosper because Senate Republicans oppose decriminalization and, although they have a majority in that chamber, the Democrats would need their support to pass the law.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
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