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               Researh Sevice





The Schedule I Status of Marijuana



Updated September 11, 2020
The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) places various substances in one of five schedules based on their
medical use, potential for abuse, and safety or risk for dependence. The five schedules are progressively
ordered with Schedule V substances regarded as the least dangerous and addictive and Schedule I
substances considered the most dangerous and addictive. Schedule I substances are considered to have a
high potential for abuse with no currently accepted medic al use in treatment in the United States. The
CSAprohibits the manufacture, distribution, dispensation, and possession of Schedule I substances except
for federal government-approved research studies.
Marijuana is listed as a Schedule I controllcd substance under the CSA, and has been on Schedule I since
the CSA was enacted in 1970 (P.L. 91-513). For background on how marijuana came to be placed on
Schedule I, see Appendix B of CRS report, The larijuana Policy Gap and the Path Fortlard.
The Schedule I status of marijuana means that the substance is strictly regulated by federal authorities.
Yet, over the last several decades, most states and territories have deviated from across-the-board
prohibition of marijuana, and now have laws and policies allowing for some cultivation, sale, distribution,
and possession of marijuana.

Select Issues Surrounding the Schedule I Status of Marijuana andthe
Policy Gap with States

Select key issues related to the Schedule I status of marijuana and the gap between federal and state
marijuana policies are highlighted below.
    *  Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs). It has been reported that IHEs may decline to permit
       research on marijuana on their campuses, because doing so may put them at risk of losing federal
       funds. An IHE's policy prohibiting marijuana on campus may also affect students for whom their
       states have authorized the use of medical marijuana. Under the Higher Education Act of 1965,
       each IHE must adopt a program to prevent the use of illicit drugs and alcohol and annually
       distribute standards of conduct that prohibit the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit
       drugs and alcohol on the institution's property or as part of any of its activities and that describe
       applicable legal sanctions.
    * Financial Services for Marijuana-Related Businesses. Despite the guidance issued by the
       Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) on how financial
                                                               Congressional Research Service
                                                                 https://crsreports.congress.gov
                                                                                    INI 1204

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