The Trump administration on Thursday moved to reclassify marijuana under federal law.
In a release, the Department of Justice said it will immediately move FDA-approved marijuana products, along with items regulated by a state medical marijuana license, to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, a demotion from its current Schedule I status.
That puts medical cannabis in the company of regulated drugs with recognized medical uses, such as Tylenol with codeine and testosterone, rather than Schedule I drugs, such as heroin, which are considered to have no medical use and high potential for abuse.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will evaluate whether to extend Schedule III status to cannabis broadly — not just to medical marijuana — in a hearing scheduled for June 29.
The changes haven’t and will not legalize the drug at the federal level. But for an industry that has historically feared executive authority could deal a major blow to the drug’s legality, the moves are a step in the opposite direction, says Ben Kovler, founder and CEO of cannabis firm Green Thumb Industries.
