In an historic shift, the Drug Enforcement Administration supports recommending the reclassification of marijuana as a less dangerous drug, moving it from a Schedule 1 classification, alongside drugs like heroin and ecstasy, to a Schedule 3 drug, like ketamine, steroids and testosterone, sources told ABC News.
A source confirmed that the Department of Justice on Tuesday will send its recommendation to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, which will review it, further solidifying a process that will then take several more months.
The White House declined to comment, referring all questions to the DOJ, which then announced its decision later on Tuesday.
In a statement, department spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa said: “Today, the attorney general circulated a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. Once published by the Federal Register, it will initiate a formal rulemaking process as prescribed by Congress in the Controlled Substances Act.”
This would not legalize marijuana outright, but rescheduling marijuana would have sweeping ramifications for how the federal government treats the drug — in terms of medical research, taxation and more — as marijuana has become more widely used across American society. Kansas has not legalized marijuana for any reason, including medicine, while a majority of states have legalized marijuana use for varying degrees including medicinal treatments.
