Recently, the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration moved marijuana products regulated by state medical marijuana licenses from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. Public hearings, which are supposed to occur before such a move, will be held sometime in the future.

Schedule I drugs are those with no medical application and a high potential for abuse. Schedule II drugs have a medical application and a high potential for abuse. Schedule III drugs have a medical application and a moderate to low potential for abuse.

Based off existing federal policy, here are four glaring issues with the recent move to reclassify marijuana.

Marijuana Does Not Belong in Schedule III

The problem with skipping over Schedule II entirely and placing marijuana in Schedule III is that marijuana has already shown to have a high potential for abuse. Everyone who uses marijuana recreationally is abusing the drug. Millions of people in the U.S. use marijuana, and it is estimated that 3 in 10 have a cannabis use disorder.

According to the 2026 White House National Drug Control Strategy — which was released a mere 10 days after the rescheduling announcement — cannabis use disorder affects 20.6 million people over the age of 12. That is 7.1 percent of Americans.

In addition, marijuana use is the primary reason given for addiction treatment for those under the age of 20. Based off of this data alone, marijuana does not belong in Schedule III.

Marijuana Is Not Regulated Like Other Schedule III Drugs

Schedule III drugs are required to be dispensed by a prescription from a licensed provider, which includes dose potency and frequency of use. Prescription drugs must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Drug manufacturers and distributors must also register with the DEA and comply with all regulatory requirements for safe handling. Waving a magic DOJ wand and giving carte blanche Schedule III status to state-level medical marijuana licensed products means that dispensary items such as extremely high-THC concentrates and cannabis flower strains with names such as Dark Jungle, Cannalope Haze, and Purple TrainWreck are now legitimized as medicine.

Source: VidNews » Feed