The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Justice Department proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis, but wouldn’t legalize it for recreational use.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Justice Department proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis, but
Some dispensaries owners warn that moving the plant to a Schedule III classification could open the cannabis market to larger retail pharmacies who already have the capacity and licensure to dispense Schedule III drugs with a prescription.
The proposal still faces a potentially lengthy review process, but if is approved it could have wide-ranging effects. It could make marijuana research easier. It could reduce taxes for legal cannabis businesses.
The proposal would move marijuana from the “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III." But technically nothing has actually changed yet.