With marijuana reclassification on the table, here's a breakdown on Schedule 3 drugs

President Biden endorsed the Justice Department's move to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug Thursday. In his X, formerly known as Twitter, video, the president said the move is in line with his mission of "reversing long-standing inequities" regarding the criminalization of marijuana, calling the move "monumental."

"Look folks, no one should be in jail merely for using or possessing Marijuana," the president said in his video statement.

What is a Schedule 3 drug?

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration puts regulated drugs into five categories, per the Controlled Substance Act from 1970, each indicating a level of "abuse potential," with five being the lowest and one being the highest, while also taking into account the drug's use in medicine, according to the DEA.

Schedule I drugs have no approved medical usage, according to the DEA, and include substances like heroin, LSD, and ecstasy, which are highly likely to be abused. In comparison, Schedule V drugs have the least potential for abuse, and the drugs in this group are usually used for "antidiarrheal, antitussive, and analgesic purposes," according to the DEA.

Schedule III drugs, which is where marijuana could move to, as defined by the DEA, are "drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence." If pot does become a Schedule III drug, it would be in company with testosterone and Tylenol (which contains less than 90 milligrams of codeine), according to the DEA.

Does reclassifying marijuana make it legal?

No. This change from the DEA would not make weed legal nationally; instead, it simply shows a shift in how the DEA sees marijuana's risk for abuse and use in medical scenarios. Marijuana will still be a controlled substance.

However, 24 states and Washington DC have made marijuana legal for recreation, and another 14 states have made it legal for medical use, according to the Pew Research Center.

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When will the change happen?

The report now faces a 60-day period for public comment before being approved.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Biden rescheduling marijuana: Schedule 1 vs Schedule 3, explained