HHS recommends marijuana as Schedule III drug, Senate hails move

In states with legal marijuana, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a recommendation to theDEA 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 that the agency has answered President Joe Biden's request to provide a scheduling recommendation for marijuana to the DEA. We have worked to ensure that a scientific evaluation be completed and shared expeditiously, he said. 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. HHS has done the right thing, said Democrat Bernie Schumer, a Republican. The DEA should now take this important step to significantly decrease the harm caused by draconian marijuana laws. Restricting the drug would reduce or potentially eliminate criminal penalties for possessing it. Marijuana, along with heroin and LSD, is currently classified as a Schedule I drug. 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. The drug Schedule III has a possibility 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. The president asked for the review in October 2022 because he pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of simple possession of marijuana under federal law. The Senate Finance Committee Chairman, Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, issued a statement Monday calling for marijuana to be completely descheduled. The recommendation of HHS to reschedule cannabis as a Schedule III drug is not inconsequential, he said. 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. The HHS recommendation was first reported by Bloomberg News. We enthusiastically welcome today's news, the nonprofit U.S. Cannabis Council said in a statement. Reaching cannabis will have numerous benefits, such as signaling to the police justice system that cannabis is a lower priority and providing a crucial economic lifeline to the cannabis industry.