Due to a lawsuit from last year, the Department of Health and Human Services has had to release all of their documents related to their recommendation of rescheduling Marijuana to Schedule III. As of now, it’s a Schedule I drug, the most restricted category.
Today, hundreds of pages were released that shed more light onto their decision. To reach this outcome, health officials found that 30,000 healthcare professionals in the country are authorized to recommend marijuana medically to over 6 million patients. More documents describe its powerful medical use, and that marijuana has a “potential for abuse less than the drugs or other substances in Schedules I and II.”
All of the documents were shared on Matt Zorn’s blog, who sued for the information to be released.
This information was sent to the DEA, and we are waiting their decision, who a week ago stated they “have final authority” on making the change to Schedule III. Their implication is that the letter from HHS doesn’t mean they’ll automatically reschedule marijuana and that they need to enact their own independent analysis on the decision. It’s unclear how long this will take.
The pressure to reschedule continues to build after President Biden broadened his pardon of thousands more convicted of use and possession of marijuana on federal grounds in late December of last year.
Read all of the documents the HHS sent to the DEA here.
