Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the administration has reclassified medical marijuana to Schedule III from Schedule I.
But any marijuana not under a state medical marijuana program remains classified as Schedule I.
The move only changes how marijuana for medical reasons is regulated, while giving “licensed medical marijuana operators a major tax break and eas[ing] some barriers to researching cannabis.”
Under the decisive leadership of @POTUS, this Department of Justice is delivering on his promise to improve American healthcare. This includes:• Immediately rescheduling FDA-approved marijuana and state-licensed marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule IIl• Ordering a new, expedited hearing with set deadlines, to fully reschedule marijuanaThese actions will enable more targeted, rigorous research into marijuana’s safety and efficacy, expanding patients’ access to treatments and empowering doctors to make better-informed healthcare decisions.
“Under the direction of President Trump and Acting Attorney General Blanche, DEA is expeditiously moving forward with the administrative hearing process — bringing consistency and oversight to an area that has lacked both,” said DEA Administrator Terry Cole. “Our men and women in law enforcement remain committed to fighting drug cartels, the fentanyl epidemic, and protecting American lives.”
Blanche’s order gives state-licensed medical marijuana producers and distributors an expedited system to register with the DEA.
The cannabis researchers are also protected from any penalties “for obtaining state-licensed marijuana or marijuana-derived products for use in their work.”
Here are the details for the DEA’s drug scheduling:
Schedule ISchedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Some examples of Schedule I drugs are: heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), methaqualone, and peyote.Schedule IISchedule II drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence. These drugs are also considered dangerous. Some examples of Schedule II drugs are: combination products with less than 15 milligrams of hydrocodone per dosage unit (Vicodin), cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, hydromorphone (Dilaudid), meperidine (Demerol), oxycodone (OxyContin), fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall, and RitalinSchedule IIISchedule III drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. Schedule III drugs abuse potential is less than Schedule I and Schedule II drugs but more than Schedule IV. Some examples of Schedule III drugs are: products containing less than 90 milligrams of codeine per dosage unit (Tylenol with codeine), ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone
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