DEA Administrative Law Judge John Mulrooney has ordered witness testimony to begin on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.
Tag: Schedule III
Nearly 40 years ago, advocates made the case to the DEA’s own judge that cannabis did not meet the definition of a Schedule I controlled substance. Their case is exponentially stronger now.
“Although the HHS is not recommending descheduling at this time, NORML asserts that this position is the most appropriate one and that descheduling cannabis should be adopted by future administrations.”
As a first step forward, this policy change dramatically shifts the political debate surrounding cannabis.
“NORML is in a unique position to mobilize interested parties to provide their perspectives throughout the public comment period and we will be encouraging advocates and experts to do so in the coming weeks.”
In a video message, the President called the proposed scheduling change “monumental.”
“It is significant for these federal agencies, and the DEA and FDA in particular, to acknowledge publicly for the first time what many patients and advocates have known for decades: that cannabis is a safe and effective therapeutic agent for tens of millions of Americans.”
Federal health officials concluded, “The risks to the public health posed by marijuana are low compared to other drugs of abuse,” such as benzodiazepines — a Schedule IV drug, or alcohol, which is unscheduled.