Cannabis has been removed from the same federal category as heroin.
After more than 55 years the federal government has reclassified marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III.
This change means cannabis is no longer grouped with substances like heroin and LSD which are viewed as having a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use.
The move does not legalize marijuana at the federal level. Recreational use remains illegal under federal law and interstate sales are still prohibited.
However the rescheduling is expected to have significant effects on medical research. For decades scientists noted that the Schedule I classification created major barriers to studying cannabis. Researchers had to navigate extra licensing requirements strict federal oversight and limited access to products that often did not match what consumers actually use.
Placing cannabis in Schedule III should simplify the process for conducting clinical trials examining specific formulations and gaining clearer insights into how marijuana influences pain nausea appetite memory mental health and addiction risk.
The decision arrives at a time when cannabis use across the United States has increased substantially and medical marijuana programs operate legally in most states.
Scientists emphasize that rescheduling does not mean cannabis is entirely safe. Rather it opens the door to more rigorous research that can finally provide better answers about where marijuana offers benefits where it causes harm and which individuals face the greatest risks.