Quote from jl8e >>

Quote from BlackstoneMorgan >>

I find this convincing *if* we rule that dropping an item is indeed an object interaction (RAW says this, but again thats patently stupid as letting something fall is exactly NOT interacting with it), otherwise its a example of play that simply doesnt track with the new rules.

If you want to look at it from a "realism" perspective, you're in the middle of a fight. If you just drop the weapon you're holding, you're likely to trip over it. Similarly, you can't just fling it aside without risking hitting an ally. Dropping it or setting it down requires a modicum of time and attention.

 Looked at from purely a game-mechanical sense, you don't want there to be multiple ways of ridding yourself of a wielded weapon in the action economy -- it adds extra complication and potential confusion. (And people who want to do silly weapon swapping tricks will use the free method to get even sillier. They'll end up fighting with a pile of weapons at their feet, picking them up with an interaction, and dropping them again for free.)

 upvoting is not working for some reason, so consider this a stand-in