The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is looking into moving cannabis from a Schedule One to Three drug, which means less severe consequences for people caught with it. US Attorney General Merrick Garland has submitted to the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking to consider moving cannabis from a Schedule One to Three drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), according to a Thursday press release. Cannabis has been classified as a Schedule One drug since Congress enacted the CSA in 1970. In 2022, US President Joe Biden asked Garland and US Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra to launch a scientific review into its scheduling under American law. After receiving the US Department of Health and Human Services' recommendations in August, Garland sought the legal advice of the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) on questions relevant to this rulemaking. Because of its recommendations and OLC’s legal advice, the DOJ said he exercised his authority under the law to initiate the rulemaking process to transfer cannabis to Schedule Three. It added the rescheduling of a controlled substance follows a formal rulemaking procedure that requires giving notice to people and an opportunity for comment and an administrative hearing. This proposal starts the process, where the Drug Enforcement Administration will gather and consider information and views submitted by people to decide the appropriate schedule. During this process and until a final rule is published, it said cannabis remains a Schedule One drug. This announcement comes after Mastercard announced in July it had ordered US banks that offer payment services to cannabis merchants and connect them to it to terminate the activity. READ MORE: EL LOCO: Mastercard moves to ban cannabis transactions in the US“The federal government considers cannabis sales illegal, so these purchases are not allowed on our systems,” said Mastercard. Mastercard copied similar move by Visa in 2021 involving cashless ATMs in cannabis stores. Earlier in 2023, operators were forced to find a new payroll provider after Paychex stopped processing direct deposits for employees.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is looking into moving cannabis from a Schedule One to Three drug, which means less severe consequences for people caught with it. US Attorney General Merrick Garland has submitted to the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking to consider moving cannabis from a Schedule One to Three drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), according to a Thursday press release. Cannabis has been classified as a Schedule One drug since Congress enacted the CSA in 1970. In 2022, US President Joe Biden asked Garland and US Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra to launch a scientific review into its scheduling under American law. After receiving the US Department of Health and Human Services' recommendations in August, Garland sought the legal advice of the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) on questions relevant to this rulemaking. Because of its recommendations and OLC’s legal advice, the DOJ said he exercised his authority under the law to initiate the rulemaking process to transfer cannabis to Schedule Three. It added the rescheduling of a controlled substance follows a formal rulemaking procedure that requires giving notice to people and an opportunity for comment and an administrative hearing. This proposal starts the process, where the Drug Enforcement Administration will gather and consider information and views submitted by people to decide the appropriate schedule. During this process and until a final rule is published, it said cannabis remains a Schedule One drug. This announcement comes after Mastercard announced in July it had ordered US banks that offer payment services to cannabis merchants and connect them to it to terminate the activity. READ MORE: EL LOCO: Mastercard moves to ban cannabis transactions in the US“The federal government considers cannabis sales illegal, so these purchases are not allowed on our systems,” said Mastercard. Mastercard copied similar move by Visa in 2021 involving cashless ATMs in cannabis stores. Earlier in 2023, operators were forced to find a new payroll provider after Paychex stopped processing direct deposits for employees.
