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The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday revealed a proposal to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, marking a notable change in U.S. drug policy.
First announced in April, the proposal would reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug. Schedule I drugs include the likes of heroin and LSD and are considered highly addictive and without any medical benefits.
By contrast, Schedule III drugs are considered to have a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.
President Joe Biden on Thursday publicly endorsed the Justice Department's recommendation to ease restrictions on cannabis.
"No one should be in jail merely for using or possessing marijuana," Biden said in a video posted on the social media platform X. "Far too many lives have been upended because of failed approach to marijuana, and I'm committed to righting those wrongs."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it found "some credible scientific support for the use of marijuana in the treatment of chronic pain, anorexia related to a medical condition, and nausea and vomiting."
"Additionally, no safety concerns were identified in the FDA's review that would indicate that medical use of marijuana poses unacceptably high safety risks," the proposal says.
The public will now have 60 days to submit comments on the proposal.
Marijuana is legal in some form in nearly 40 U.S. states.
Rescheduling the drug won't make it legal on the federal level, but it would lay the groundwork for additional research and medical use and could help lead to less harsh criminal penalties.
Some information in this report came from Reuters and the Associated Press.
The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.