The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is set to take a historic step toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug.
The shift would move marijuana from a Schedule I drug — a group of drugs with a high potential for abuse — to a Schedule III drug, which has moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.
Schedule I includes heroin, while Schedule III includes anabolic steroids. If the change is approved, it could be the most significant change in cannabis policy in decades.
The shift, which would not legalize marijuana use outright for recreational purposes, must first be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget.
"It is great news that DEA is finally recognizing that restrictive and draconian cannabis laws need to change to catch up to what science and the majority of Americans have said loud and clear," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday in a statement.
If the OMB agrees on the medicinal uses of cannabis and that cannabis has less potential for abuse than some more dangerous drugs, the proposal will then move to the DEA for public comment and a final ruling.
News of the rescheduling change does not go far enough, however, for some activists. Last Prisoner Project, a group addressing the injustices of America's cannabis policy, said in a statement that it believes "complete descheduling is a necessary step towards correcting past injustices and creating a fair and equitable criminal legal system."
The group said it will continue to work "to ensure that individuals burdened with past cannabis convictions are resentenced and have their records expunged, regardless of the federal scheduling decision."
News of the rescheduling comes as U.S. President Joe Biden and the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump are strategizing their campaign efforts for the November presidential election. The rescheduling news could potentially sway young voters to Biden's camp.
"Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing and educational opportunities," Biden said late last year. "Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It's time that we right these wrongs."
Not everyone is welcoming the proposed changes for cannabis. Former DEA Deputy Administrator Jack Riley told The Associated Press that he has some misgivings about the proposed changes because he views marijuana as a "gateway drug" that can lead to experimenting with other substances.
Several U.S. states have already legalized marijuana for medicinal and recreational use, establishing a billion-dollar industry. News of the DEA's proposal caused cannabis stocks to soar Tuesday.
The AP reports that Schumer and a group of other Democrats recently sent a letter to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram and Attorney General Merrick Garland that supported marijuana being regulated like alcohol instead of a controlled substance.
