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Amid an ongoing review to reclassify cannabis into a lower-risk drug category, some officials at the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have raised concerns about such a move, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
In August, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended that the DEA move cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III, along with drugs such as Tylenol and ketamine.
Drugs whose medical use is not currently accepted and which have a high potential for abuse, such as heroin and ecstasy, are currently included in Schedule I along with cannabis.
The DEA confirmed its review in January in response to a letter from a group of lawmakers urging the agency to consider the merits of marijuana legalization as part of its review.
However, some DEA officials have raised concerns about the scheduling, citing modern strains of cannabis, which can be much more potent than those commonly available in the past, people familiar with the matter said.
Some have noted that the drug’s therapeutic benefits remain unproven and it has a high potential for abuse. Others have argued that more studies are needed to evaluate marijuana’s long-term health benefits.
Under US law, the DEA can only reclassify marijuana if it has scientific evidence demonstrating the drug’s medicinal benefits. Any agency decisions will be subject to a public comment period.
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