Todd Blanche orders federal reclassification of medical marijuana as less dangerous

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order on Thursday officially reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana from a Schedule I to a less-regulated Schedule III drug, following President Donald Trump’s order to do so in December.

The rescheduling move will relax federal regulations on FDA-approved cannabis products, grouping them with substances such as anabolic steroids and ketamine rather than substances like heroin and LSD. Schedule III substances have an accepted medical use, while Schedule I substances, which have the highest abuse rates, do not have an accepted medical use.