- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has signed an order reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III.
- This policy shift means medical cannabis is now considered to have a moderate to low potential for dependence, rather than no medical use and high abuse potential.
- The reclassification does not legalize marijuana but significantly changes its regulation, offering tax breaks to licensed operators and easing research restrictions.
- The move largely legitimizes medical marijuana programs in the 40 US states that have adopted them, allowing state-licensed producers and distributors to register with the DEA.
- Schedule III drugs are defined as having moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. The Schedule I classification, which marijuana still falls under, is reserved for drugs without medical use and with high potential for abuse.
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