DEA Moves to Reclassify Cannabis to Schedule III

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) accepted the Department of Health and Human Services' recommendation to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, marking the first federal agency to acknowledge the plant's medicinal value. The change aligns cannabis with substances such as anabolic steroids and codeine.

The DEA’s 17‑day administrative hearing concluded on July 15, with closing arguments from both proponents and opponents. Law‑enforcement officials, including Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal, testified that regulated cannabis markets reduce illicit activity and crime, contradicting earlier statements that legalisation would expand the illegal market. The hearing’s record appears to favor the rescheduling, though the final recommendation from Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius remains pending.