DEA could reclassify marijuana to a less restrictive category – a drug policy expert weighs the pros and cons

The move would not make marijuana legal at the federal level for recreational use and would require dispensaries to comply with medical marijuana requirements. Nathalie Jamois/SOPA Images, LightRocket via Getty Images

The Drug Enforcement Administration announced in early 2024 that it would act on President Joe Biden’s call to reclassify marijuana, moving it from the tightly controlled Schedule I category that it has been in since 1970 to the less restrictive Schedule III status of the Controlled Substances Act. That triggered a long process of hearings and reviews that will not be completed until after the presidential election in November.

The news drew strong reactions from critics: 25 Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland protesting any changes to federal marijuana laws. They argued that the decision “was not properly researched … and is merely responding to the popularity of marijuana and not the actual science.”