Marijuana Reclassification: DEA, the drug enforcement agency, will take steps to reclassify cannabis in a historic change, AP sources say

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will take steps to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned, a historic change in generations of US drug policy that could have wide ripple effects. in all the country.

The DEA proposal, which has yet to be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge that it has less potential for abuse than some of the country’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not completely legalize marijuana for recreational use.

The agency’s move, confirmed to the AP on Tuesday by five people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive regulatory review, clears the last major regulatory hurdle before the agency’s biggest policy change in more than 50 years can come into force. .

Once OMB approves it, the DEA will accept public comments on the plan to remove marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, along with heroin and LSD. Moves marijuana to Schedule III, along with ketamine and some anabolic steroids, following a recommendation from the federal Department of Health and Human Services. After the public comment period, the agency would publish the final rule.

It comes after President Joe Biden called for a review of federal marijuana law in October 2022 and moved to pardon thousands of Americans convicted at the federal level for simple possession of the drug. He has also called on governors and local leaders to take similar steps to expunge marijuana possession convictions.

“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed unnecessary barriers to employment, housing and educational opportunities,” Biden said in December. “Too many lives have been turned upside down because of our failed approach to marijuana. It is time we righted these wrongs.”

The election-year announcement could help Biden, a Democrat, boost flagging support, particularly among younger voters.

Some critics argue that the DEA should not change course on marijuana, saying reclassification is not necessary and could lead to harmful side effects.

On the other end of the spectrum, others argue that marijuana should be removed from the list of controlled substances entirely and instead regulated like alcohol.

Federal drug policy has lagged behind many states in recent years: 38 have already legalized medical marijuana and 24 have legalized recreational use.

The rescheduling’s immediate effect on the country’s criminal justice system would likely be more muted, as federal prosecutions for simple possession have been fairly rare in recent years. Biden has already pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of marijuana possession under federal law.

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Goodman reported from Miami, Mustian from New Orleans. AP writer Colleen Long contributed.