In a historic departure from generations of U.S. drug policy, the Drug Enforcement Administration has agreed to loosen its restrictions on cannabis, according to a statement from a spokesperson at DEA’s parent agency, the Department of Justice.
The decision, which follows a recommendation from experts at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will move cannabis from its current classification as a Schedule I controlled substance—a category that encompasses drugs with a high potential for abuse and no accepted therapeutic value, such as heroin and LSD—to the less risky Schedule III, which includes prescription medications such as ketamine and anabolic steroids. Before the proposal can be finalized, it must undergo review by the White House Office of Management and Budget followed by a public comment period.
Although the change won’t legalize cannabis at the federal level, it should make it easier for researchers to obtain and study the drug, which has shown promise in relieving chronic pain and is being investigated as a potential treatment for cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions.
Science’s coverage of the September 2023 HHS recommendation noted that researchers have long chafed under DEA’s cannabis policies. The Schedule I classification “makes everything more challenging,” says Staci Gruber, a neuroscientist who runs trials involving cannabis at McLean Hospital. A 2022 law increased access to cannabis for medical research purposes, but researchers must still apply for a DEA license—a process that requires months of paperwork and must be repeated for each new study. Rescheduling would streamline the process. For example, a research manual published by DEA indicates researchers working with Schedule III substances aren’t required to submit their study protocols to the agency in advance.
If cannabis is rescheduled, researchers also expect an easing of strict security rules for storage and handling, which currently require them to use high-tech lock boxes and install expensive security cameras. And the proposed change could increase the supply of cannabis for research. Currently, DEA only permits a few universities and companies to produce the plant.
More: https://www.science.org/content/article/u-s-moves-reclassify-cannabis-lower-risk-drug
