DEA - Marijuana Reclassification And DEA: Congressional Report Outlines Rescheduling Limits | Benzinga
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) might finally budge on it is decades-long cannabis criminalization, but don’t hold your breath for legal weed shops just yet. In a new report published Tuesday, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) explained the limitations of rescheduling, stressing state-legal markets would still be in federal crosshairs, facing potential raids and prosecution.
While rescheduling cannabis from Schedule I (no accepted medical use and high potential for abuse) to Schedule III (accepted medical use and low potential for abuse) sounds promising, it would not necessarily legalize the booming state-legal cannabis industry.
"Moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, without other legal changes, would not bring the state-legal medical or recreational marijuana industry into compliance with federal controlled substances law," according to the CRS report.
"With respect to medical marijuana, a key difference between placement in Schedule I and Schedule III is that substances in Schedule III have an accepted medical use and may lawfully be dispensed by prescription, while ...