Beshear asks Drug Enforcement Administration to consider medical benefits of marijuana

Cannabis is currently categorized as a Schedule I drug — drugs with high likelihoods of abuse and no accepted medical uses.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration places marijuana in the same category as heroin, LSD and ecstasy. As a Schedule I drug, it’s ranked over substances like fentanyl, which is Schedule II.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear urged the Drug Enforcement Administration Wednesday to reschedule it to Schedule III, which would bring the federal government more in line with the vast majority of states that acknowledge the therapeutic applications of the drug.

“The jury is no longer out on marijuana: It has medical uses and is currently being used for medical purposes,” Beshear said in the letter. “The recognition is overwhelming – and bipartisan.

Beshear sent the letter specifically in support of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recommendation.

In 2022, President Joe Biden called on the department's secretary to “review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.” He made the announcement when he also announced he would pardon all previous federal offenses for simple marijuana possession.

Beshear pointed to Kentucky, whose Republican-controlled legislature legalized medical cannabis for certain conditions.

The application for a cannabis business license opened July 1 and patients with a condition on the approved list — like cancer or PTSD — can apply for a cannabis card on Jan. 1, 2025.

“We look forward to seeing how safe medical marijuana products will reduce the suffering and improve the lives of tens of thousands of Kentuckians when our program launches in 2025,” Beshear wrote.

State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.