By Steve Neavling
The DEA is expected to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic move that would dramatically ease federal restrictions on cannabis.
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday submitted a formal recommendation to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule II drug, the Associated Press first reported.
The move would acknowledge the medical benefits of marijuana, though it would not legalize recreational use outright.
It would be the DEA’s most significant policy change in more than a half century.
Before the agency publishes the final rule, its next step would be taking public comment before an administrative judge reviews the step.
The reclassification comes at a time when 38 states have legalized medical marijuana, and 24 have approved recreational marijuana.
In October 2022, President Biden called for a review of federal marijuana law and began pardoning thousands of Americans convicted on the federal level of simple possession.
“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said in December. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”
