HHS Call To Reschedule Marijuana Is A Big Deal: Here’s Why

Yesterday a top official at the Department of Health and Human Services released one of the most consequential announcements ever made at the federal level concerning cannabis prohibition. The agency formally recommended that cannabis be moved from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, a classification for drugs that have a high potential for abuse and no recognized medicinal value, to the much less restrictive Schedule III.

First off, we should recognize that this is a truly historic announcement, marking the first time in modern history that a major government agency has recognized that cannabis has been misclassified as a dangerous substance of abuse. This was the result of a nearly yearlong investigation that marks one of the most comprehensive reviews ever conducted by the federal government on the issue.