The DOJ has approved rescheduling — here’s what’s next

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has officially approved a long awaited move to reschedule state-regulated medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III.

After a years-long process that began under the Biden Administration, medical cannabis sold in accordance with state law will no longer be classified alongside what the U.S. government considers the most dangerous drugs. The medical efficacy of cannabis will now be formally recognized by the FDA, easing long standing barriers that have hindered research into cannabis for medical use.

To be clear, this change does not legalize cannabis itself, but only impacts the classification of medical cannabis as under a state-regulated medical cannabis program.

Next Steps

While rescheduling has cleared a major hurdle at the DOJ, the decision on whether and how cannabis itself will be rescheduled will only be determined after a public comment period and an administrative hearing scheduled for June of this year. Stay tuned for an email alert from us once the public comment period begins.

MPP welcomes this important step towards a more sane and sensible federal approach to cannabis, but it regrettably stops far short of the necessary and appropriate move to fully deschedule cannabis — and treat it more like alcohol, which is not scheduled at all.

This historic decision by the federal government should inspire more states to enact and expand medical cannabis programs for patients, and MPP is actively engaged in this work across the country.

The ongoing disconnect between the federal government and states with regulated medical and adult-use programs is ultimately untenable, and we must continue pushing forward at the state and federal levels towards achieving the critical mass of support it will take to finally end federal cannabis prohibition.