The Trump administration has warned federal agencies to prepare for the imminent loosening of federal restrictions on marijuana, according to a new report.
The Drug Enforcement Agency is expected to announce the first steps towards reclassifying the drug as soon as this week, starting with an administrative hearing, sources told The Washington Post.
Such changes would make it easier for scientists and the DEA to study marijuana for medical purposes. The drug is currently a Schedule I classification – the same as LSD, ecstasy and heroin – and would be moved to a Schedule II class, the sources said.
Trump signed an executive order to continue work started under Joe Biden to reclassify the drug last December. The Biden administration had previously recommended that marijuana be reclassified as a Schedule III drug.
Trump said at the time that the change had been “requested by American patients suffering from extreme pain, incurable diseases, aggressive cancers, seizure disorders, neurological problems, and more.”
Recent data suggests that a majority of Americans also support loosening restrictions on marijuana, with a poll conducted earlier this month by the Economist/ YouGov finding that 53 percent of adults were in favor of legalizing it.
That total also included 35 percent of Republicans.
Though it would break down barriers for further medical research, reclassifying marijuana would not change the sentences of those currently in prison for possession or dealing it.
Trump also added that the reclassification was not the same as decriminalizing marijuana on a federal level. Many states allow its use for both medical and recreational use.
“Unless a drug is recommended by a doctor for medical reasons, just don’t do it,” the president said.
“At the same time, the facts compel the federal government to recognize that marijuana can be legitimate in terms of medical applications when carefully administered.”
The Independent has contacted the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration to confirm the news, which Axios first reported.
A White House official told The Independent: “The Administration continues to expeditiously implement President Trump’s December executive order to increase medical marijuana research to close the gap between current medical marijuana use and medical knowledge.”
According to the DEA, a drug’s classification depends on a number of factors, including its medical use, history and current pattern of abuse, potential for abuse, and risk of psychic or physiological dependence.
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