HHS Sends Recommendation To DEA On Rescheduling Marijuana
The agency recommended reclassifying marijuana as Schedule III
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has sent its findings on marijuana to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to possibly alter marijuana’s status in the U.S.
In October 2022, President Biden requested that the HHS secretary and the attorney general conduct a review of how marijuana is currently scheduled under federal law. Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning the DEA considers it a drug “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
HHS on Tuesday confirmed it sent its findings to the DEA this week.
“Following the data and science, HHS has expeditiously responded to President Biden’s directive to HHS Secretary [Xavier Becerra] and provided its scheduling recommendation for marijuana to the DEA on August 29, 2023,” an HHS spokesperson said.
The spokesperson did not specify what the department’s exact recommendation was. According to an HHS letter obtained by Bloomberg, the agency recommended reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug, or a substance considered to have “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence”
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