WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Thursday formally moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug in a historic shift in generations of US drug policy.
A proposed rule sent to the federal register recognizes the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledges it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs.
The plan approved by Attorney General Merrick Garland does not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use.
The Drug Enforcement Administration will take public comment on the proposal to move marijuana away from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD.
It moves pot to Schedule III, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids.
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