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The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration hopes to issue a decision by July on whether to remove marijuana from the list of Schedule 1 drugs, three federal officials have told Oregon's U.S. senators.
In a letter sent on Monday to U.S. senators including Oregon Democrats Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, the federal say the DEA is reviewing a recommendation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and studies from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and is planning to issue a "final determination" about rescheduling marijuana in the first half of this year.
The letter was first reported by The Washington Post.
Although recreational marijuana is legal in four U.S. states, including Oregon, the removal of cannabis from the list of Schedule 1 narcotics would significantly loosen federal control on the drug—mostly by increasing research on the medical uses of marijuana.
Schedule 1 is the strictest drug category. Narcotics in this category are listed as having "no medical use and a high potential for abuse" and are among "the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence."
Other Schedule 1 narcotics include heroin, LSD and Ecstasy.
Wyden and Merkley said they're hopeful that removing weed from the Schedule 1 list will open up research opportunities.
"The federal government should reduce barriers to researching the potential medical benefits of marijuana, and rescheduling it is the first essential step in that process," Wyden said in a statement. "I'm glad the DEA will make a scheduling decision soon."
Willamette Week