DEA Backs Moving Marijuana to Schedule III as FDA Witness Says Harms Trail Alcohol and Opioids
Updated
Updated · Marijuana Moment · Jun 29
DEA Backs Moving Marijuana to Schedule III as FDA Witness Says Harms Trail Alcohol and Opioids
3 articles · Updated · Marijuana Moment · Jun 29
Summary
Opening the hearing, DEA lawyer James Schwartz said the government is the proponent of moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III and framed the case as regulation based on medical benefits weighed against risk.
FDA official Dominic Chiapperino testified that marijuana’s day-to-day harms, overdose risk and withdrawal severity are generally lower than alcohol, opioids and other comparator substances used in the agency’s scheduling review.
Cross-examination began Monday, with Smart Approaches to Marijuana’s Kevin Sabet accusing the government of reversing 50 years of DEA positions and misrepresenting the science.
Tuesday’s session will continue opponents’ questioning and add DEA witness Corey Burchman, a New Hampshire doctor expected to testify that he has shifted pain patients from opioids to marijuana.
The hearing, closed to livestreaming and criticized by reform advocates who say supporters were excluded, is scheduled to run through July 15 amid parallel lawsuits over the rescheduling process.
As medical cannabis gains acceptance, what will prevent a new “Big Tobacco” from targeting American youth?
If the FDA finds cannabis safer than alcohol, why does it remain federally more restricted?
How will the government enforce two different legal statuses for medical and recreational cannabis users?
Landmark 2026 DEA Decision: Medical Marijuana Reclassified to Schedule III—Implications, Controversies, and the Road Ahead
Overview
In April 2026, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), following an order from the Department of Justice, made a historic move by rescheduling certain forms of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. This shift marks a major change in federal cannabis policy, recognizing the medical value of marijuana found in FDA-approved drug products and those covered by state medical licenses. As a result, these medical forms are now seen as having moderate to low potential for dependence and accepted medical use, bringing immediate impacts for patients and the medical cannabis industry across the United States.