In a milestone move, the Drug Enforcement Administration is calling for cannabis to be reclassified under federal law, according to an AP news report.
In a milestone move, the Drug Enforcement Administration is calling for cannabis to be reclassified under federal law, according to an Associated Press news report.
The DEA’s decision comes eight months after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended the change.
In October 2022, President Biden requested federal agencies review reschedule cannabis. This marked the first time that a U.S. president called to reschedule cannabis.
Currently, cannabis is categorized as a Schedule I substance, meaning it is criminally prohibited by federal law and has a “high potential for abuse.” Rescheduling cannabis as a Schedule III substance means it is legal to posses in licensed pharmacies under a doctor’s prescription. Examples of Schedule III drugs are anabolic steroids and ketamine.
Although Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that advocates for marijuana laws reform, was positive about the DEA and FDA acknowledging cannabis’ medicinal use and effectiveness for many Americans, he did caution that reclassifying the substance as a Schedule III would not solve the problem of federal prohibition.
“Just as it is intellectually dishonest and impractical to categorize cannabis in the same placement as heroin, it is equally disingenuous and unfeasible to treat cannabis in the same manner as anabolic steroids and ketamine,” he said in a statement.
