US Reclassifies Medical Marijuana as Less Dangerous Drug

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche reclassified FDA-approved cannabis products and state-licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III on Thursday, following President Donald Trump's directive last year to begin the reclassification process. The change, which takes effect 30 days after Federal Register publication, eases research barriers and provides tax relief to marijuana businesses while marijuana remains federally illegal despite legalization in most US states. Blanche also ordered a June hearing to consider broader reclassification of all marijuana, building on a process initiated by the Biden administration's 2022 review. However, Morgan Fox of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws called the move mostly symbolic, advocating instead for complete federal de-scheduling to align with the more than two-thirds of Americans who support full cannabis legalization.

Reclassification of Medical Marijuana to Schedule III

• ▪Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche ordered a hearing to be held in June as part of a rule-making process to reclassify all marijuana more broadly.
• ▪The marijuana reclassification rule change has 30 days until it takes effect once published in the Federal Register.
• ▪Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called a hearing to consider reclassifying all marijuana.
• ▪President Donald Trump directed his administration last year to begin the marijuana reclassification process to increase access and research of the drug.
• ▪Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's marijuana reclassification order came five days after Trump signed an executive order to boost access to psychedelic drugs for medical treatment.
• ▪The marijuana reclassification can be legally challenged during the 30-day period and be blocked from implementation for months or years.
• ▪Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche changed the classification of FDA-covered cannabis products and state medical-marijuana licensed products from Schedule I to Schedule III on Thursday.

Historical Context and State-Federal Legal Conflicts

• ▪The US health department recommended a change to marijuana's classification for the first time about a year after the 2022 review began.
• ▪The Drug Enforcement Administration requested marijuana reclassification hearings in 2024 but then indefinitely postponed those hearings.
• ▪Marijuana remains illegal at the federal level in the United States.
• ▪President Joe Biden's administration initiated a review of marijuana's classification in 2022.
• ▪The US classified marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance in 1970.

Political and Public Support for Further Reform

• ▪Morgan Fox of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws described Trump's marijuana reclassification change as mostly symbolic.
• ▪Morgan Fox stated that de-scheduling cannabis at the federal level rather than moving to Schedule III is the real solution to marijuana policy issues.
• ▪The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws will continue to push for full federal legalization of cannabis.

Perspective of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws

• ▪Morgan Fox stated that de-scheduling cannabis at the federal level rather than moving to Schedule III is the real solution to marijuana policy issues.
• ▪The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws will continue to push for full federal legalization of cannabis.
• ▪Morgan Fox of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws described Trump's marijuana reclassification change as mostly symbolic.

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