The drug is illegal at the federal level despite 40 of 50 U.S states having passed laws legalizing its use in some form.
Cannabis is currently listed in the same class of drugs as heroin and LSD. If the DEA changes its classification, it could mark the most significant shift in U.S drug policy in decades.
Cannabis is currently classified as a schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning it has no medical use and a high chance of abuse.
The change to schedule 3 would align it with drugs listed as having a low potential for dependency and abuse. Ketamine, anabolic steroids, and drugs containing up to 90 milligrams of codeine per dose fall under that classification. Last year, President Joe Biden asked his attorney general and health secretary to oversee a review on whether cannabis should be listed as a less serious drug. The proposal was presented to the DEA by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday.
