Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra speaks Aug. 1 at the State Department in Washington. On Wednesday, his department recommended that restrictions on marijuana be eased.
(Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)
WASHINGTON —
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has delivered a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration on marijuana policy, and Senate leaders hailed it Wednesday as a first step toward easing federal restrictions on the drug.
Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said Wednesday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that his agency has responded to President Biden’s request “to provide a scheduling recommendation for marijuana to the DEA.”
“We’ve worked to ensure that a scientific evaluation be completed and shared expeditiously,” he added.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer said in a statement that Health and Human Services had recommended that marijuana be moved from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance.
“HHS has done the right thing,” Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. “DEA should now follow through on this important step to greatly reduce the harm caused by draconian marijuana laws.”
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Rescheduling the drug would reduce or potentially eliminate criminal penalties for possession. As a Schedule I drug, marijuana is currently classified alongside heroin and LSD.
According to the DEA, Schedule I drugs “have no currently accepted medical use in the United States, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and a high potential for abuse.”
Schedule III drugs “have a potential for abuse less than substances in Schedules I or II and abuse may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence.” They currently include ketamine and some anabolic steroids
Biden requested the review in October 2022 as he pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law.
Biden pardons thousands convicted on federal marijuana possessi
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued a statement calling for marijuana to be completely descheduled.
“However, the recommendation of HHS to reschedule cannabis as a Schedule III drug is not inconsequential,” he added. “If HHS’s recommendation is ultimately implemented, it will be a historic step for a nation whose cannabis policies have been out of touch with reality.”
Bloomberg News first reported on the Health and Human Services Department recommendation.
In reaction to the Bloomberg report, the nonprofit U.S. Cannabis Council said: “We enthusiastically welcome today’s news. ... Rescheduling will have a broad range of benefits, including signaling to the criminal justice system that cannabis is a lower priority and providing a crucial economic lifeline to the cannabis industry.”
US health dept recommends to move marijuana
to lower-risk drug category
Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has delivered a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration on marijuana policy, and Senate leaders hailed it Wednesday as a first step toward easing federal restrictions on the drug.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Wednesday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that the agency has responded to President Joe Biden's request “to provide a scheduling recommendation for marijuana to the DEA.”
“We’ve worked to ensure that a scientific evaluation be completed and shared expeditiously,” he added.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement that HHS had recommended that marijuana be moved from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance.
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“HHS has done the right thing,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said. “DEA should now follow through on this important step to greatly reduce the harm caused by draconian marijuana laws.”
Rescheduling the drug would reduce or potentially eliminate criminal penalties for possession. Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD.
According to the DEA, Schedule I drugs "have no currently accepted medical use in the United States, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision, and a high potential for abuse."
Schedule III drugs “have a potential for abuse less than substances in Schedules I or II and abuse may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence.” They currently include ketamine and some anabolic steroids.
Biden requested the review in October 2022 as he pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued a statement calling for marijuana to be completely descheduled. “However, the recommendation of HHS to reschedule cannabis as a Schedule III drug is not inconsequential," he added. “If HHS’s recommendation is ultimately implemented, it will be a historic step for a nation whose cannabis policies have been out of touch with reality.”
Bloomberg News first reported on the HHS recommendation.
In reaction to the Bloomberg report, the nonprofit U.S. Cannabis Council said: “We enthusiastically welcome today’s news. ... Rescheduling will have a broad range of benefits, including signaling to the criminal justice system that cannabis is a lower priority and providing a crucial economic lifeline to the cannabis industry.”
US health department recommends looser restrictions on cannabis
GETTY IMAGESThe US Department of Health and Human Services has called on the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to loosen federal rules on cannabis.
The drug is illegal at the federal level despite 40 of 50 US states having passed laws legalising its use in some form.
Cannabis is currently listed in the same class of drugs as heroin and LSD.
If the DEA changes its classification, it could mark the most significant shift in US drug policy in decades.
Cannabis is currently classified as a schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning it has no medical use and a high chance of abuse.
The change to schedule 3 would align it with drugs listed as having a low potential for dependency and abuse. Ketamine, codeine, and anabolic steroids fall under that classification.
Last year, President Joe Biden asked his attorney general and health secretary to oversee a review on whether cannabis should be listed as a less serious drug.
The proposal was presented to the DEA by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday.
"As part of this process, HHS conducted a scientific and medical evaluation for consideration by DEA," the agency said in a statement.
"DEA has the final authority to schedule or reschedule a drug under the Controlled Substances Act. DEA will now initiate its review."
The HHS, in its statement, said "this administrative process was completed in less than 11 months, reflecting this department's collaboration and leadership to ensure that a comprehensive scientific evaluation be completed and shared expeditiously".
The recommendation stops short of removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act's list altogether. Some advocates have pushed the administration to de-schedule the drug, meaning repeal it from the Controlled Substances Act and regulate it in the same way as alcohol or tobacco.
Rescheduling it could open it up to further research and allow banking in the cannabis industry to operate more freely. Currently, most marijuana businesses in the US are forced to operate in cash, due to tax laws banning banks from handling money generated from certain drug sales.
Public opinion polling indicates that a majority of Americans support some form of legalisation of the drug.
Cannabis is legal for adult recreational use in 23 states, including all west coast states and in Washington DC. It is permitted for medical use in 38 states.
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