The United States, US, Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.
The Associated Press said the proposal, which must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use.
The White House Office of Management and Budget would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs.
Once OMB signs off, the DEA will take public comment on the plan to move marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD.
It moves to Schedule III, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids, following a recommendation from the federal Health and Human Services Department.
After the public comment period and a review by an administrative judge, the agency would eventually publish the final rule.
Commenting, the US Justice Department director of public affairs Xochitl Hinojosa said: “Today, the Attorney General circulated a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III.
“The DEA is a component of the Department of Justice.
“Once published by the Federal Register, it will initiate a formal rulemaking process as prescribed by Congress in the Controlled Substances Act.”
This comes as President Joe Biden called for a review of federal marijuana law in October 2022.
The president also moved to pardon thousands of Americans convicted federally of simple possession of the drug.
He has also called on governors and local leaders to take similar steps to erase marijuana convictions.
In December, Biden said: “Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities.
“Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”
