The DEA is reportedly planning to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug. This would open the door for the FDA to approve marijuana as a prescription drug.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is reportedly moving to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug .
The DEA proposal would change marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug following a recommendation from the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) , the Associated Press reported.
The initial HHS recommendation in August 2023 prompted claims that the scheduling change could make marijuana federally legal with a prescription. THE QUESTION
Could marijuana be federally legal with a prescription as a Schedule III drug? THE SOURCES
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Texas State Board of Pharmacy
Alex Kreit , an assistant professor and expert in drug law at Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law McGlinchey Stafford , a law firm THE ANSWER Yes, marijuana could be federally legal with a prescription as a Schedule III drug. WHAT WE FOUND Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug would acknowledge that it has legitimate medical uses, opening the door for it to become a federally recognized prescription drug. But marijuana would still need approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before that happens, experts say.The federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) classifies drugs, substances and certain chemicals used to make drugs into five distinct categories called schedules . Those five categories are based on the drug’s acceptable medical use, and potential for abuse or dependency, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says.Marijuana is currently categorized as a Schedule I drug, which is the highest and most dangerous classification in federal law, alongside heroin, LSD and ecstasy. That means it has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” according to the DEA. Though many U.S. states have legalized marijuana for medicinal and recreational uses, its Schedule I classification means it is still federally illegal for all uses. For example, people can’t bring marijuana on a […]
Reclassifying marijuana could make the drug federally legal with a prescription
