US to reclassify marijuana as low-risk drug in historic shift

US President Joe Biden's administration is set to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, an official said Tuesday -- a historic shift that would bring federal policy more in line with public opinion.

The US attorney general sent a proposal to the White House on Tuesday to "reclassify marijuana," Justice Department spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement.

It comes after Biden became the first president to initiate a federal review into the matter, in 2022.

The issue is seen as a potential vote winner for Biden as he faces Republican Donald Trump in a tough election rematch this November, especially among younger people whom the Democratic incumbent is struggling to court.

Marijuana has been classified since 1970 as a so-called "Schedule I" drug along with heroin, ecstasy and LSD, meaning it is deemed to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

But it would be downgraded to a Schedule III drug under the proposal, along with drugs like ketamine and painkillers containing codeine, with a moderate to low likelihood of dependence, Hinojosa's statement said.

"This is the next step in the formal rescheduling process," a source familiar with the issue told AFP. The process would still require a long period for public comments and finalisation.

Commenting on the impending move, Paul Armentano, deputy director of the advocacy group NORML, said: "It is significant for these federal agencies... to acknowledge publicly for the first time what many patients and advocates have known for decades: that cannabis is a safe and effective therapeutic agent for tens of millions of Americans."

(AFP)

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