After determining cannabis has a lower public health risk than other substances similarly regulated by the government, Department of Health and Human Services officials last August recommended reducing marijuana’s classification to a Schedule III drug, not a Schedule I similar to heroin and cocaine, the Washington Post reports.
According to the document released Friday, DHHS recommended to the Drug Enforcement Administration that marijuana be reclassified because it’s more beneficial than harmful. In a 143-page document supporting the Department’s opinion, research showed cannabis not only was not as dangerous as other similarly classified drugs but also echoed other findings about marijuana’s medical benefits to patients.
While the DEA has not yet acted on the DHHS referral, the White House has reduced the priority to enforce marijuana bans on federal property and President Biden has issued clemency orders for people convicted of some minor possession offenses on federal lands and in Washington, DC. Reducing classification would allow cannabis business where the drug is legal to use federal banking and insurance systems, providing more services to those companies and their customers.