The Drug Enforcement Administration is beginning hearings on a proposal to reclassify recreational cannabis under federal drug law. DEA medical cannabis has been transferred in FDA-approved drugs and from state-licensed operators in April, marking the most significant change in US cannabis policy in half a century.

The DEA hearing, scheduled for June 29-July 15, is to consider the agency’s May 21 proposal to move hemp from Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III. Such a step would have a significant impact on a regulated adult cannabis industry that would be exempt from punitive tax policies for businesses that sell Schedule I drugs.

Cannabis reform advocates fear exclusion from hearings

Because transfer proposal established by the DEA, the agency will act as an advocate for reform through hearings. As a result, only individuals and groups opposed to relocation will be allowed to testify, which has made many cannabis reform advocates skeptical of the process.

The National Marijuana Law Reform Organization attempted to testify at the hearing arguing that hemp should be excluded from the CSA entirely.

“Marijuana cannot legally remain in Schedule I,” said Joseph A. Bondi, chairman of NORML’s board of directors. statement from the Cannabis Policy Reform Advocacy Group. “But Schedule III is not the end of the road. It is, at most, an interim fix. It does not address the federal government’s failure to recognize legal cannabis users of legal age under state law.”

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