DEA advances marijuana rescheduling process amid transcript corrections

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is moving forward with the process to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. In recent filings, the DEA argued that marijuana no longer meets Schedule I requirements because it has a currently accepted medical use in the United States and demonstrated safety under medical supervision. The agency noted that over 30,000 practitioners are currently treating more than six million patients across 43 jurisdictions.

The proposal faces opposition from various groups, including Smart Approaches to Marijuana and the states of Idaho, Indiana, and Nebraska. Following the evidentiary hearings held between June 29 and July 15, both proponents and opponents have filed their final briefs.

Additionally, a DEA chief administrative law judge, Derek C. Julius, has ordered a series of corrections to the official hearing transcript. These corrections, which address mistranscribed statements, technical terminology, and speaker identifications, are expected to be released in an updated version by August 26. The updated transcript will feature red text for corrections and strikethroughs for deleted material.