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WASHINGTON (AP) â 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 Bidenâs request âto provide a scheduling recommendation for marijuana to the DEA.â
âWeâve worked to ensure that a scientific evaluation be completed and shared expeditiously,â 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.
âHHS has done the right thing,â Schumer, D-N.Y., said. âDEA should now follow through on this important step to greatly reduce the harm caused by draconian marijuana laws.â
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., hailed the recommendation:
âMoving marijuana from Schedule I will have huge benefits for people across Pennsylvania and this country, especially our veterans who rely on it as treatment for conditions like PTSD,â he said. âBut we should also be clear that we have been in this exact spot before, with science on the side of rescheduling, only to have the DEA and its destructive âWar on Drugsâ mindset block reform. That must not happen again.â
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 âhave 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.â
Schedule III drugs âhave 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.â They currently include ketamine and some anabolic steroids.
Biden requested the review in October 2022 as he pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of âsimple possessionâ of marijuana under federal law.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued a statement calling for marijuana to be completely descheduled. âHowever, the recommendation of HHS to reschedule cannabis as a Schedule III drug is not inconsequential,â he added. âIf HHSâs recommendation is ultimately implemented, it will be a historic step for a nation whose cannabis policies have been out of touch with reality.â
Bloomberg News first reported on the HHS recommendation.
In reaction to the Bloomberg report, the nonprofit U.S. Cannabis Council said: âWe enthusiastically welcome todayâs 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.â