The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has taken another step toward reclassifying cannabis, according to a report by The Associated Press (AP).
Justice Department director of public affairs Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement: "Today, the Attorney General [Merrick Garland] circulated a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. Once published by the Federal Register, it will initiate a formal rulemaking process as prescribed by Congress in the Controlled Substances Act."
The change would stop short of federally legalising adult-use cannabis, but would formally acknowledge the plant's medical value and recognise that it carries a lower potential for abuse compared to other controlled substances currently in higher scheduling tiers.
Drawing on five anonymous sources, AP reported that the proposal — which still requires review by the White House Office of Management and Budget — "clears the last significant regulatory hurdle before the agency's biggest policy change in more than 50 years can take effect".
If approved, the DEA will open a public comment period on the plan to move cannabis from Schedule I — a category it currently shares with heroin and LSD — to Schedule III, which includes substances such as ketamine and certain anabolic steroids. The move follows a prior recommendation from the federal Health and Human Services Department.
Following the public comment period and a review by a judge, the agency would then issue the final rule, according to AP.
US President Joe Biden first called for a review of federal cannabis law back in 2022.
