Sooo...did marijuana actually just get reclassified? No, not yet, but it did move one step closer.

An executive order was signed to fast-track the federal review process, not to instantly change the law. That means marijuana hasn’t officially moved from Schedule I to Schedule III yet, that part still has to go through federal agencies first. And it does NOT signal that marijuana will become legal at the federal level.

Here’s what’s happening: Federal health and drug agencies (HHS, FDA, and the DEA) will begin reviewing whether marijuana should move from Schedule I (a category that includes heroin and LSD) to Schedule III (alongside drugs like Tylenol with codeine and anabolic steroids.)

If that change eventually becomes official, it would: • make medical and academic research easier
• ease some regulations on legal cannabis businesses
• provide major federal tax relief for operators
• signal a lower federal risk classification

What it would not do:
• legalize marijuana federally
• override state laws
• automatically reduce sentences
• expunge past convictions

In other words, this isn’t legalization ... but sill, it’s a meaningful shift in how the federal government views marijuana and a step worth paying attention to in the food & beverage industry.

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