Biden admin moves to declassify weed as Schedule 1 drug

President Joe Biden's US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has reportedly moved to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug instead of Schedule 1, labeling it as less dangerous.

The agency's move to classify it as less dangerous was confirmed by reporting from the Associated Press on Tuesday by five people familiar with the matter. 

Biden's White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) still must sign off on the measure, however, afterwards it will be recognized as being less potent than other illicit drugs. It would not, however, legalize the drug for recreation federally.  

After the OMB signs off on the measure, the DEA will move to make it a Schedule III drug instead of having its Schedule 1 status, which labels the drug as being as dangerous as LSD, heroin, and other drugs.  

Criticism came online from conservatives who took issue with the step towards more use of the drug. 

Biden called for a review of federal marijuana laws in Oct. 2022 when he also took steps to pardon 1,000s of people who had been charged for possession of weed. He has also told governors to take similar steps that would move the country to legalizing marijuana.  

In December, Biden said, “Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities." 

"Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs," he added at the time.  

The move comes as Vice President Kamala Harris has been heavily criticized for her involvement in prosecuting marijuana crimes when she was an attorney general in California but has recently changed her tune.  

She was responsible for the convictions related to weed of over 1,900 Californians as the San Francisco DA.