U.S. Health & Human Services recommends DEA reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III
To say today is a great day for cannabis patients would be an understatement. Why? The U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) has sent its recommendation to the DEA to reschedule cannabis and remove it from the list of Schedule I drugs.
Could this be the start of a world where cannabis is accessible to everyone? Hopefully. While campaigning for Presidency, Biden repeatedly promised that he would seek to reschedule cannabis. Between you and me, I did not think this day would ever come but here we are!
The letter from HHS, dated August 29th, comes ten months after the Biden administration requested “the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.”
What does Schedule I mean anyway?
Cannabis is currently classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning the DEA considers it a drug “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
This is categorically false and our government has known the truth for decades. That is why twenty-three states have legalized cannabis for adult recreational use, and 38 states allow medical use of cannabis products, according to data from the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Why does it matter?
Because of its current scheduling, funding for cannabis research is limited or non-existent simply because it is listed as a Schedule I drug. In other words, scientists and researchers are barred from conducting studies to further understand the wonders of the plant.
The agency recommended reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug, or a substance considered to have “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” This would put cannabis in the same category as codeine, anabolic steroids and ketamine.
Who does this help?
Everyone! Rescheduling cannabis to a Schedule III drug would not only provide a more accurate description of how cannabis helps us, it would open the door to more research, something we desperately need. It would also allow cannabis businesses to bank more freely and openly, and businesses would no longer be subject to a 40-year-old tax code that disallows credits and deductions from income generated by sales of Schedule I and II substances.
What happens next?
HHS conducted a scientific and medical evaluation for consideration by DEA. The HHS recommendation now goes to DEA, which will conduct its own scientific review. DEA has the final authority to schedule or reschedule a drug under the Controlled Substances Act. In general, Schedule III controlled substances are FDA-approved drugs that are uniformly regulated by the federal government and are only legally available by prescription.
Bloomberg was the first to report on the leaked letter from HHS. Click here to read more!
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