Marijuana is neither as risky nor as prone to abuse as other tightly controlled substances and has potential medical benefits, and therefore should be removed from the nation’s most restrictive category of drugs, federal scientists have concluded.
The records shed light for the first time on the thinking of federal health officials who are pondering a momentous change.
The agencies involved have not publicly commented on their debates over what amounts to a reconsideration of marijuana at the federal level.
Since 1970, marijuana has been considered a so-called Schedule I drug, a category that also includes heroin.
Schedule I drugs have no medical use and a high potential for abuse, and they carry severe criminal penalties under federal trafficking laws.
Persons:
Matthew Zorn
Organizations:
Health, Human Services
Locations:
Texas