The Drug Enforcement Agency has announced that it is moving marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 under the Controlled Substances Act.
Marijuana advocates see this decision as an attempt to loosen controls on hallucinogens like LSD and MDMA. However,
the decision to reschedule marijuana will not make it impossible for other drugs to be removed from Schedule 1,
and the rescheduling of marijuana will not cause other drugs to be rescheduled.
Drug classification under the Controlled Substances Act
The Controlled Substances Act creates five schedules,
with drugs in Schedule 1 having the most stringent restrictions and drugs in Schedule 5 having looser restrictions.
The Drug Enforcement Agency will look at three characteristics to determine scheduling: medical use, dependence liability,
and abuse potential. However, the Drug Enforcement Agency has argued that drugs with no medical use should be placed in Schedule 1 regardless of other characteristics.
Clinical trials must be completed to reclassify a drug schedule
Furthermore, proving a drug’s medical use requires the completion of controlled trials that show it is effective in treating medical conditions,
which is very difficult for drugs that are placed in Schedule 1 and are subject to severe restrictions.