Biden admin will move to reclassify marijuana as 'less dangerous drug' in historic shift

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced on Tuesday that it will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, Fox News has confirmed. 

The planned move by the Biden administration comes during an election year.

This proposal, if passed, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. 

However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use.

"Attorney General Garland is submitting a new rule to OMB as soon as today which would reclassify marijuana," a Biden administration official told Fox New. The Department of Justice has declined to comment.

The rule change means marijuana would no longer be a Schedule I restricted substance. 

"Today, the Attorney General circulated a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. Once published by the Federal Register, it will initiate a formal rulemaking process as prescribed by Congress in the Controlled Substances Act," DOJ Director of Public Affairs Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement.