Originally listed as a Schedule 1 drug in 1970, the Food and Drug Administration is conducting an analysis at the Drug Enforcement Administration’s request on whether the U.S. should downgrade the classification of marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug. The call for analysis comes after a continued increase in state approved medical marijuana, with Colorado and Washington recently legalizing retail marijuana.

Schedule 1 drugs carry the most restrictions of the five DEA classifications and are considered substances with no medical benefit that are highly addictive. Factors the FDA considers in making a recommendation include a drug’s abuse potential, its pharmacological effect and risk to public health, according to Throckmorton’s written testimony.

The proposed change is a sign of the growing acceptance of marijuana as medicine and for recreational purposes in the US.

Article Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-20/drug-regulators-study-easing-u-s-marijuana-restrictions.html