Department of Justice plans to submit recommendations Three people familiar with the matter said they have proposed deregulation of marijuana to the White House that could amount to a major change in federal policy.
If approved, the measure would begin a lengthy rulemaking process and would not end the criminalization of marijuana, but would significantly change the government’s view of its safety and use for medical purposes. It will probably happen.
It could also lead to loosening of other laws and regulations governing cannabis use and possession, including sentencing guidelines, banking, and access to public housing.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland will tell the White House Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday that the government should reclassify the drug, a person familiar with the recommendation said on condition of anonymity. .
For more than half a century, marijuana has been considered a so-called Schedule I drug, on the same level as highly addictive substances like heroin, which the Drug Enforcement Administration says currently has no accepted medical use.
Last year, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended to the DEA that marijuana be made a Schedule III drug. This would place marijuana under less production restrictions, along with less addictive substances such as codeine, ketamine, and Tylenol, which contains testosterone. I did some research and learned that it can be taken with a prescription.
The Associated Press first reported the decision.
ashley southall and andrew jacobs I contributed a report from New York.
