US eases access to marijuana for medical use
(FILES) Marijuana plants are found growing at an illegal cannabis farm during a raid by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies in Newberry Springs, in the western Mojave Desert of Southern California on March 29, 2024. The US government on April 23 made it easier for Americans to use cannabis for medical reasons, according to acting attorney general Todd Blanche. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)
April 23, 2026
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)—The United States (US) government on Thursday made it easier for Americans to use cannabis for medical reasons by reclassifying the drug and enabling more research into its safety and efficacy.
Marijuana has been reclassified as having moderate to low addiction potential, “expanding patients’ access to treatments and empowering doctors to make better-informed healthcare decisions,” acting attorney general Todd Blanche said.
It was earlier classified as “Schedule I,” a category for drugs with “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse” that includes heroin and methamphetamine, according to the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
It has now been moved to the third rung of the five-level Drug Schedule.
The Department of Justice said Thursday’s move followed up on President Donald Trump’s executive order in December on increasing medical marijuana research.
