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Unexpected development in Donald Trump’s plan to reclassify marijuana
There has been an unexpected development in President Donald Trump's plan to reclassify marijuana.
Under current plans, the Trump administration would re-classify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug.
However, those hoping that the plans (which would mean it is looked on by law as a less dangerous drug than it currently is) would be put into action soon might not be happy with the latest development.
Work to reclassify marijuana has been ongoing since 2024, but the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has just announced the rescheduling has, as of right now, been paused.
Why has the rescheduling of marijuana been paused?
The DEA has announced that the planned re-scheduling of marijuana has been paused so they could consider a new report on drug scheduling issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
In a new report, the DEA says that this report would need to be added to the hearing record and briefings because it would concern rescheduling all products containing marijuana, not just those approved by the FDA.
All federal agencies have until October 13 to respond to this request. After this, the presiding judge in the case will consider whether to admit the GAO report into its findings.
If it is admitted, then a much wider array of products containing marijuana will then be rescheduled, so the wait for many could be worth it.
Currently, forty states and the capitol city Washington D.C have legalized the use of medical marijuana, while a further twenty-four states and Washington D.C have legalized the recreational use of marijuana for adults.
But what does this rescheduling actually mean?
What would the rescheduling of marijuana in the US mean?
In layman's terms, the rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to a Schedule III drug wouldn't fully legalize the recreational use of cannabis at federal level, but it would acknowledge its medical usage and lower the restrictions on the drug federally.
This would mean that the government would officially acknowledge the medicinal benefits of using marijuana and that it has a lower propensity for abuse than other Schedule I drugs, like heroin or LSD.
Tax burdens for cannabis businesses would also be lessened, since they would finally be able to deduct normal business expenses and it could, theoretically, start being prescribed to patients via FDA-approved pathways.
Currently, marijuana is classed as a Schedule I drug, which means at a federal level, it is looked at as a drug with no accepted medical use and a high propensity for abuse.
As a Schedule III drug, it would be deemed to be acceptable for medical use and a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence, such as some pain medications, ketamine, and anabolic steroids.