CHICAGO (CBS) — Illinois legalized recreational marijuana in 2020, and since then, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office has expunged thousands of pot-related cases.
Now, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is pushing for a historic shift—to reclassify marijuana as a less-dangerous drug. It would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and move it from Schedule I—alongside heroin and LSD – to Schedule III, alongside ketamine, codeine and some anabolic steroids.
This move would not legalize recreational marijuana outright at the federal level.
Supporters of rescheduling marijuana call the DEA’s proposed move a step in the right direction—even though it falls short of federally decriminalizing marijuana. Those who oppose the proposal chalk it up to campaign politics.
The DEA proposal caused a buzz Tuesday at the Ivy Hall dispensary at 1720 N. Damen Ave. in Bucktown.
“It’s a huge day for cannabis,” said Dominique Wright, director of people and operations at Ivy Hall Dispensary. “It’s definitely a history-maker.”
If moved to Schedule III, marijuana would be in a group of “drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”
“It’s proof that we are moving in the right direction when it comes to cannabis, and destigmatizing the plant,” said Wright.
This comes after President Joe Biden called for a
