Overview
- The order instructs federal agencies to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, a step that recognizes medical use and lower relative risk.
- The change is expected to open broader avenues for clinical research and could enable tax deductions long denied to state-licensed cannabis businesses.
- A DEA rulemaking with a public-comment period is still required, and officials have not provided a clear timeline for a final decision.
- The move follows an HHS recommendation and a prior DOJ proposal that stalled during legal and administrative disputes.
- Several Republican lawmakers urged maintaining Schedule I status, citing health, driving, and workplace concerns.