Reading the Tea Leaves: The Future of Marijuana Rescheduling

In October 2022, President Biden instructed “the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.” This sparked a multi-step formal rulemaking process that is ongoing. In August 2023, HHS recommended to DEA that marijuana be placed in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), based on HHS’ scientific and medical evaluation. In May 2024, the Attorney General then issued a notice of proposed rulemaking proposing to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III. Almost a year later, we are awaiting an administrative hearing about this proposal and the future of marijuana rescheduling remains uncertain.

Please join the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center as we host a panel of experts and former government officials who will explain the rescheduling process, discuss their expectations for the upcoming hearing, and address how marijuana policy may change under the Trump administration.

Panelists

Cat Packer, Distinguished Cannabis Policy Practitioner in Residence at The Ohio State University Drug Enforcement and Policy Center; Director of Drug Markets and Legal Regulation at Drug Policy Alliance; former Executive Director of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation

Matt Lawrence, Associate Professor, Emory University School of Law; former Senior Advisor with the Drug Enforcement Administration of the U.S. Department of Justice

Patricia J. Zettler, John W. Bricker Professor of Law, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law; former Deputy General Counsel to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Moderator

Bridget Dooling, Assistant Professor of Law, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law; former Deputy Chief for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget