The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. April 24, 2026 White House Formally Reclassifies Cannabis as a Less Dangerous Substance ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The White House on Thursday formally reclassified state-licensed cannabis as a "Schedule III substance," paving the way for the Food and Drug Administration to study its medicinal uses. For over a half-century, the drug was listed under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act as a Schedule I substance, a list that includes heroin, ecstasy and peyote. The reclassification, however, does not legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use under federal law. .