The United States narcotic Enforcement Administration stated on Tuesday that marijuana will be reclassified as a less harmful narcotic, Fox News confirmed.
The Biden administration’s proposed action occurs during an election year.
If successful, this measure would recognize cannabis’ medical applications while also acknowledging that it has a lower potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most harmful pharmaceuticals.
However, it would not overtly legalize marijuana for recreational use.
“Attorney General Garland will submit a new rule to OMB as early as today that would reclassify marijuana,” a Biden administration official told Fox News. The Department of Justice declined to comment.
Marijuana will no longer be classified as a Schedule I restricted substance under the new rules.
“Today, the Attorney General proposed reclassifying marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III.” “Once published in the Federal Register, it will begin a formal rulemaking process as prescribed by Congress in the Controlled Substances Act,” DOJ Director of Public Affairs Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania, spoke for marijuana legalization earlier this month, emphasizing that regulation improves safety.
“It needs to be safe, pure, taxed, and available,” Fetterman previously told Fox News Digital, adding that illegally obtained versions of the medicine are difficult to detect and may be laced with hazardous compounds like fentanyl.
He has also urged Biden to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), where it is now classified as Schedule I by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This list covers medications “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance, along with heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ecstasy, and peyote.
As the drug schedule changes (Schedule II, Schedule III, etc.), so does the abuse potential; Schedule V substances have the lowest risk for abuse.
According to the CSA, Schedule III medications have a lesser risk of misuse than Schedules I and II. These drugs may produce physical dependence, but they are more likely to cause psychological dependence.
Drugs in this category also need a prescription, and all CSA record-keeping rules apply. However, this does not make it legal to sell without a Medical License and DEA registration. It is equivalent to filling a prescription at a pharmacy.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, marijuana in small amounts is now legal for recreational use by adults in 24 states, Washington, D.C., and two U.S. territories.
“Any adult should be able to do that legally without any criminal consequences,” the Pennsylvania senator stated.
Fetterman stated that he does not believe “anyone [should] have their lives criminally impacted for a nonviolent marijuana charge.”
“Republicans want legal marijuana. “Democrats want legal marijuana,” Fetterman explained. “And I think this is a [place] where we could come together in a bipartisan way to say, ‘Look, let’s do this and just get on with it.'”
Marijuana is the most commonly used federally prohibited drug in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with an estimated 48.2 million users in 2019, a figure that has only grown since then as states allow recreational and medical cannabis usage.