US to Reclassify Cannabis as Less Dangerous Drug
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The United States government is planning to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug, in a move that would bring federal cannabis law closer to individual state laws, Sky News reports. Like heroin and LSD, Marijuana is currently classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, indicating a high potential for abuse and no recognized medicinal qualities.
Calling for a review of the federal law on cannabis, US President Biden in 2022 pardoned thousands of Americans convicted of possessing marijuana.
In a statement in December, Biden added: “Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”
However, the Biden administration has no plans to legalize the use of cannabis outright for recreational use, Sky News said.
A new proposal by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) would acknowledge that cannabis has medicinal properties and that it is less easily abused than other drugs, Sky News reports. The US Department of Justice has recommended the drug be reclassified to “Schedule Three” under the Act, placing it in the same category as ketamine and some anabolic steroids. “Schedule Three” indicates a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.
Thirty-eight US states have legalized cannabis for medicinal use, including 24 where it is decriminalized for recreational use as well.
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