The US Attorney General announced on Thursday, April 23, reclassifying cannabis into a less restrictive category, a decision that is expected to make its medical use easier, and also consider broader decriminalization at the federal level. This decision follows a presidential decree signed on December 18 by Donald Trump, aiming to encourage medical research on cannabis, as stated in a press release by acting Attorney General Todd Blanch.
While three-quarters of Americans now live in a state where cannabis is legal, this decision does not yet decriminalize it at the federal level. However, it moves this drug from category 1, the highest in the classification system, which includes heroin, LSD, or ecstasy, to category 3, which includes substances with a moderate risk of low dependence, such as some codeine medications.
A new federal classification
Additionally, the Attorney General announces the launch of an “administrative process to review a broader reclassification of cannabis,” not just for medical use, starting June 29. “These measures will allow for more targeted and rigorous research on the safety and efficacy of marijuana, expand patient access to treatments, and enable doctors to make better-informed health decisions,” the minister stated.
This new federal classification could have significant economic implications by easing constraints on companies cultivating or selling cannabis. Former Democratic President Joe Biden had pushed for federal decriminalization of cannabis, but this change failed to materialize. Cannabis, a derivative of hemp, was classified as category 1 in 1970, under the influence of Republican President Richard Nixon, who declared a “total war on illicit drugs.”
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