The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced Tuesday that it will reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous medication, Fox News confirmed this.
The move planned by the Biden administration comes during an election year.
This proposal, if passed, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge that it has less risk of abuse than some of the country’s most dangerous drugs.
However, he he would not legalize marijuana purely and simply for recreational purposes.
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The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift in generations of U.S. drug policy that could have wide-ranging repercussions across the country. The DEA’s proposal must still be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget. (AP Photo/Julio Cortés)
“Attorney General Garland is submitting a new rule to the OMB today that would reclassify marijuana,” a Biden administration official told Fox New. The Justice Department declined to comment.
The rule change means that marijuana will no longer be a Schedule I restricted substance. However, it is unclear at this point whether the new rule will classify marijuana as a Schedule II or III substance.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will begin the rulemaking process, which could take months.
Sen. John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, advocated for marijuana legalization earlier this month, emphasizing that safety is increased when marijuana is regulated.
“It has to be safe, pure, taxed and available,” Fetterman told Fox News Digital, explaining that illegally purchased versions of the drug are difficult to trace and could be laced with dangerous substances, such as fentanyl.
He also pressured Biden to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), under which the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) currently classifies it as Schedule I. This list includes drugs ” with no medical use currently accepted and high potential for abuse. » Marijuana is included in the list of Schedule I substances, alongside heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ecstasy and peyote, among others.
At left is a bus stop with a Cannabis.ny.gov promotional sign, Legalizing Marijuana in New York State, Queens, New York. On the right, a legally licensed New York City cannabis dispensary symbol in a storefront with a QR code to use as dispensary verification. (Getty Images)
As the drug schedule changes – Schedule II, Schedule III, etc., so does the potential for abuse – Schedule V drugs represent the lowest potential for abuse.
Schedule III drugs have a lower abuse potential than I and II drugs, according to the CSA. Drugs in this category can cause physical dependence but more often lead to psychological dependence.
Medicines in this category also require a prescription and all CSA record keeping requirements would apply. However, this does not mean it is legal to sell without a medical license or DEA registration. It’s the same as filling a prescription at a pharmacy.
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A man smokes a joint during the celebration of International Marijuana Day at Almagro Park, Santiago, April 20, 2023. A woman holds her heart. ((PABLO VERA/AFP via Getty Images)(iStock))
Marijuana in small quantities has been made legal for recreational use by adults in 24 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and two U.S. territories, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
“Any adult should be allowed to do this legally without any criminal blowback,” the Pennsylvania senator said.
Fetterman stressed that he doesn’t believe “anyone (should) have their life criminally impacted for a non-violent marijuana charge.”
“Republicans want legal weed. Democrats want legal weed,” Fetterman said. “And I think this is a (place) where we could come together in a bipartisan way to say, ‘Look, let’s do this and move on with that.'”
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Marijuana is the most commonly used federally illegal drug in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with an estimated 48.2 million users nationwide in 2019, a figure that only made has increased since then as states continue to legalize the recreational and medical use of cannabis. .
Julia Johnson and Kyle Schmidbauer of Fox News Digital, Jake Gibson, David Spunt and Patrick Ward of Fox News, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
