DEA Plans to Decide Whether Marijuana Should Be Rescheduled

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has written a letter to U.S. senators letting them know their plans to decide whether marijuana should receive a reclassification under federal law.

When is this supposed to go down? The first half of 2016. To be clear the research into marijuana's medical benefits and possible reclassification doesn't mean that it will automatically be legal everywhere. It just means that restrictions on research and penalties for marijuana offenses could see a reduction.

The U.S. has five categories (schedules) when it comes to classifying illegal drugs and the chemicals that can be used to make them.

Schedule I - Substances have no currently accepted medical use in the United States, and a high potential for abuse.
Examples: heroin, LSD, marijuana, peyote, Ecstasy

Schedule II - high potential for abuse which may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.
Examples: Fentanyl, morphine, opium, codeine

Schedule III - have a potential for abuse less than substances listed in Schedules I or II and may lead to moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence.
Examples: Vicodin, hydrocodone, Tylenol with codeine

Schedule IV - low potential for abuse relative to substances in Schedule III.
Examples: Xanax, Soma, Valium

Schedule V - low risk of abuse and consist primarily of preparations containing limited quantities of certain narcotics.
Examples: Robitussin AC, Phenergan with Codeine

This is not the first time the DEA has been asked to look at the reclassification of marijuana, as they received petitions in 2001 and 2006, considered the requests, but ultimately decided to keep marijuana as a Schedule I substance.

Read the letter the DEA sent to senators here.

Source: Huffington Post