DEA plans to reclassify marijuana as a lower-risk drug, officials say

The Drug Enforcement Administration will move to loosen restrictions on marijuana in what would be a historic shift in federal drug policy, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.

The measure, if enacted, would not instantly legalize marijuana at the federal level but could broaden access to the drug for medicinal use and boost cannabis industries in states where it is legal. The move may also prove to be a political win for President Biden, who is campaigning for reelection and has sought to ameliorate racial and criminal justice inequities wrought by the nation’s long war on drugs.