You have a serious issue when it matters who implements the policy you want.

'Trump in August said he was “looking at reclassification.” He would be finishing what started under President Joe Biden’s Justice Department, which followed the recommendation of federal health officials in proposing a rule to reclassify marijuana; that proposal has stalled since Trump took office.'

'The Biden administration pursued efforts to ease access to the drug, with health officials recommending reclassification to Schedule III in 2023. But health officials have said that those recommendations were slowed down by the Drug Enforcement Administration, which took months to undergo required administrative reviews and were not completed before the end of Biden’s term. The Drug Enforcement Administration was supposed to hold an administrative hearing on the proposal, with a judge hearing from experts on the health benefits and risks of marijuana. But the hearing has been in legal limbo since Trump took office, amid allegations from cannabis companies that the DEA was working to torpedo the measure.'

Trump is stalling on this.

My theory is that Obama and Biden admins would have done it but had little incentive to do so. They have an image of being weak on crime and the Republican machine would use it against them.

Its the same reason Trump can be less of a war hawk (previous admin) because his image is one of a tough guy bully. Biden tried to talk tough but you just don't buy it.

Obama was basically Bush 2.0 but ran as being the anti-Bush. He gets into office and is constantly trying to appear to take the "war on terror" seriously. He was perceived as being less hawkish yet really wasn't.

Republicans have the problem of seeming less sensitive to the needs of the poor. Even though most admins have not cut welfare.

The political system gaurantees we get bad incentives no matter who wins.