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Opinion: Does reclassifyng cannabis make legalizing more desirable?

File photo/Hans Pennink/The Associated Press / Marijuana plants are seen at a growing facility in Washington County, N.Y., on May 12, 2023. The Health and Human Services Department has recommended removing marijuana from a category of drugs deemed to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” The agency advised moving pot from that “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III.” The decision is up to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
File photo/Hans Pennink/The Associated Press / Marijuana plants are seen at a growing facility in Washington County, N.Y., on May 12, 2023. The Health and Human Services Department has recommended removing marijuana from a category of drugs deemed to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” The agency advised moving pot from that “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III.” The decision is up to the Drug Enforcement Administration. File photo/Hans Pennink/The Associated Press / Marijuana plants are seen at a growing facility in Washington County, N.Y., on May 12, 2023. The Health and Human Services Department has recommended removing marijuana from a category of drugs deemed to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” The agency advised moving pot from that “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III.” The decision is up to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

By LeBron Hill 4 min read

A game-changing review could set the cannabis world ablaze.

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department this week recommended taking cannabis out of a category of drugs deemed to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” The Drug Enforcement Administration will take up the issue and make its own recommendation to the Attorney General, who makes the final decision.

This comes after President Joe Biden asked the federal health agency last year to evaluate whether marijuana should remain so highly regulated.

Cannabis is currently classified by the DEA as a Schedule I substance. Other drugs such as heroin, meth and LSD also fall into this category. The HHS suggests that the drug be reclassified to Schedule III, which also includes Ketamine, anabolic steroids and some acetaminophen-codeine combinations.