DEA Finally Expected To Reclassify Marijuana
The federal government is finally expected to change the way it regulates marijuana, such that the drug would no longer be completely forbidden. The change is welcome, but it does not go far enough.
“The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug,” the Associated Press reported on Tuesday. The proposal “would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use.”
The policy would signal a welcome shift from decades of prohibitionist drug policy. Since 1970, the federal government has regulated marijuana under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, intended for drugs with “a high potential for abuse” and “no currently accepted medical use in treatment.” Other Schedule I substances include heroin and peyote.
That description has always been ridiculous when applied to marijuana, but especially in recent years, as more than two-thirds of U.S. states, plus three territories and the District of Columbia, now allow marijuana for medical use—not to mention that 24 states, two territories, and D.C. further allow recreational use.
The proposed reclassification stems from President Joe Biden’s October 2022 announcement calling on Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary Xavier Becerra of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to “initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.”
In August 2023, HHS delivered its recommendation: Marijuana should be reclassified from Schedule I to Schedule III. According to the DEA, Schedule III drugs have “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence” and can be prescribed by a doctor. Examples include ketamine, Tylenol with codeine, and anabolic steroids. Marijuana would not be completely legalized, though: Schedule III substances are still subject to regulation on their sale and use.
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Article from Reason.com
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