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

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

If passed, the measure would not immediately legalize marijuana at the federal level, but could expand access to the drug for medical use and boost the cannabis industry in states where it is legal. The move could also prove a political victory for President Biden, who is campaigning for re-election and has sought to improve racial and criminal justice inequities caused by the nation’s long, failed war on drugs.