US regulators might change how they classify marijuana. Here’s what that would mean

NEW YORK (AP) — When it emerged this week that U.S. health regulators are suggesting that the federal government loosen restrictions on marijuana, the news lit up the world of weed. Specifically, the Health and Human Services Department has recommended removing marijuana from a category of drugs deemed to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” The agency advised moving pot from that “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III.” The decision is up to the Drug Enforcement Administration. A reclassification wouldn’t legalize recreational pot nationwide. But it would have some impact, particularly on research and pot business taxes.