The Washington Post reports:
The nation’s top health agency is recommending easing restrictions on marijuana in what could portend a landmark shift in federal policy on cannabis.
The Department of Health and Human Services has recommended to the Drug Enforcement Administration that marijuana be reclassified as a lower-risk, Schedule III controlled substance. Marijuana is currently a Schedule I controlled substance, deemed alongside heroin and LSD as having the potential for abuse and with little or no accepted medical use.
DEA, which said it has the final authority to classify a drug under federal law, confirmed it has received a recommendation from HHS and said it will now initiate its review, a process that could take months.
The Associated Press reports:
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Wednesday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that the agency has responded to President Joe Biden’s request “to provide a scheduling recommendation for marijuana to the DEA.”
“We’ve worked to ensure that a scientific evaluation be completed and shared expeditiously,” he added. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement that HHS had recommended that marijuana be moved from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance.
“HHS has done the right thing,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “DEA should now follow through on this important step to greatly reduce the harm caused by draconian marijuana laws.” Rescheduling the drug would reduce or potentially eliminate criminal penalties for possession.
The nation’s top health agency is recommending easing restrictions on marijuana in what could portend a landmark shift in federal policy on cannabis. https://t.co/n7dJqf1rSF
— YvonneWingettSanchez 🏜 (@yvonnewingett) August 31, 2023
