State-licensed marijuana has been reclassified as a “less-dangerous” drug.
The move, made by President Donald Trump’s administration, was announced Thursday by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Blanche signed an order which reclassified FDA-approved and state-licensed marijuana from Schedule I – reserved for harsh drugs like heroin – to the less strict Schedule III.
“The Department of Justice is delivering on President Trump’s promise to expand Americans’ access to medical treatment options,” Blanche said in a statement.
“This rescheduling action allows for research on the safety and efficacy of this substance, ultimately providing patients with better care and doctors with more reliable information,” he said
Blanche said the order does not yet apply to marijuana generally, but said the order initiates “a new, expedited hearing with set deadlines, to fully reschedule marijuana.”
Blanche’s order comes just days after Trump signed an executive order Saturday expediting the review of some psychedelic drugs as potential therapy treatments.
“The executive order I’m signing, we’re actually signing the executive order today, is really a moment,” Trump said. “These treatments are currently in the advanced stages of clinical trials to ensure that they’re both safe and effective for the American patients.”
The president said the executive order would implement “historic reforms to dramatically accelerate access to new medical research and treatments based on psychedelic drugs.”
“In many cases, these experimental treatments have shown life-changing potential for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression, including our cherished veterans,” Trump said, citing the suicide rate for veterans.
“And the nice part is we’re actually doing this early, but it has been going on. Research has been going on for quite some time. But, you know, usually with things like this, nothing ever happens, no matter how the research ends up, but we’re changing that. This order will clear away unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, improve data sharing among the FDA and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and facilitate fast rescheduling of any psychedelic drugs that become FDA approved,” Trump said.
