The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has plans to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic step toward lessening federal restrictions on decades of U.S. drug policy, reports found.
The DEA will approve an opinion from the Department of Health and Human Services that the drug should be reclassified from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug, NBC News reported.
The DEA’s proposal must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, but if approved, it would recognize medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for people to abuse the drug than other more dangerous substances, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
It would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use, but the proposal “clears the last significant regulatory hurdle” before the largest policy change in more than five decades would take effect, the AP reported.
DEVELOPING.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
