The DEA Schedule was created by The Controlled Substances Act.

All federally regulated substances are placed in Schedules 1-5, based on the substance’s potential for abuse and recognized medical use.1

Cannabis is in the category reserved for the most dangerous drugs which have a ”high abuse potential with no accepted medical use; medications within this schedule may not be prescribed, dispensed, or administered"

As a comparison, drugs on Schedule 2, considered less dangerous than cannabis, include cocaine, methamphetamine, and oxycodone.

With over 6 million registered medical cannabis patients in the United States, how can we keep pretending that there is “no accepted medical use,” when patients’ lives are at stake?!

For more information on why cannabis doesn’t belong on Schedules 1-5, check out Americans for Safe Access 8 Factor Analysis on Cannabis

1: Lopez MJ, Tadi P. Drug Enforcement Administration Drug Scheduling. [Updated 2022 Jun 23]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. 

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