The United States Drug Enforcement Administration is planning to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, according to a proposal that will be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget.
While this move would not legalize marijuana for recreational use, it would acknowledge its medical uses and recognize it as having less potential for abuse than some of the nation's most dangerous drugs.
The proposal would move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids, following a recommendation from the federal Health and Human Services Department.
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As stated by US Justice Department director of public affairs Xochitl Hinojosa, "Today, the Attorney General circulated a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III...
Once published by the Federal Register, it will initiate a formal rulemaking process as prescribed by Congress in the Controlled Substances Act."
This development comes after President Joe Biden called for a review of federal marijuana law in October 2022, and pardoned thousands of Americans convicted federally of simple possession of the drug.
As President Biden stated in December, "Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities.
Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It's time that we right these wrongs."
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