US Health Department Pushes for Reclassification of Marijuana as Lower-Risk Drug

The US Department of Health and Human Services has recommended that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) loosen federal restrictions on cannabis, calling for its reclassification from a Schedule 1 drug to a Schedule 3 drug. This move, if approved, would align cannabis with substances having a low potential for dependency and abuse. While the recommendation falls short of removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act altogether, it could pave the way for further research and allow the cannabis industry to operate more freely. The proposal comes as public opinion in the US increasingly supports some form of cannabis legalization, with 40 out of 50 states having already passed laws allowing its use in some capacity.