(Washington Stand) On August 30, reports surfaced that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will review a recommendation from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reclassify marijuana as a lower-risk Schedule III drug. Experts warn that because of marijuana’s proven track record of being used as a gateway drug to highly addictive narcotics such as fentanyl, the move could lead to increased drug addiction and abuse nationwide.
The move by the Biden administration is the latest in a sustained effort to decriminalize cannabis, which currently remains a prohibited Schedule I drug at the federal level due to its psychoactive (mind-altering) effect and lack of any FDA-approved medicinal purposes. In October of last year, President Biden pardoned thousands of people who were convicted of marijuana possession as a federal offense. (Read More)
