By Timothy S. Donahue

Top Takeaways:

• Hearings begin June 29: The DEA will open formal proceedings on the proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III.
• Two-week schedule: Hearings are scheduled to run through July 15 at DEA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
• Fresh review: The proceedings follow the DOJ’s decision to terminate the previous hearing and begin a new administrative process.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will begin formal administrative hearings June 29 on the federal government’s proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, marking the next phase in one of the most closely watched drug policy proceedings in decades.

The hearings, scheduled to run through July 15 at DEA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, will examine the Department of Justice’s proposed rule to reclassify marijuana, following recommendations from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

According to the DEA, the proceedings will be open to the public and credentialed media on a limited basis. A final transcript will be published on DEA.gov after the hearings conclude.

News media wishing to attend the hearing must RSVP to DEAPress@dea.gov by 10 a.m. on June 26, 2026. Due to limited capacity, RSVPs will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and must include the following information:

• Name
• Media outlet
• Press credentials
• Date(s) of attendance

“Media credentials are required and must be visible while inside DEA Headquarters,” the agency said.

The hearings stem from a proposal first published by the Justice Department on May 21, 2024, that recommended transferring marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III after HHS concluded that cannabis has a currently accepted medical use and a lower potential for abuse and dependence than Schedule I substances.

The administrative process has since experienced multiple procedural delays.

After pre-hearing proceedings, briefing, and an interlocutory appeal, the matter was stayed pending review by the DEA administrator. On April 22, 2026, Acting Attorney General Blanche formally terminated the prior proceeding, identified as Hearing No. 24-44, and simultaneously issued a new notice of hearing directing the DEA to begin an administrative review of the proposed rule.

The newly scheduled hearings will determine whether the proposed rulemaking should proceed, with testimony expected from government officials, scientific experts, industry stakeholders, and other participants admitted to the proceeding.

If ultimately adopted, moving marijuana to Schedule III would mark the most significant change to federal cannabis policy since the Controlled Substances Act’s passage in 1970. Schedule III substances remain federally controlled, are recognized as having accepted medical uses, and are subject to fewer regulatory restrictions than Schedule I drugs.

The proposal would not legalize marijuana for recreational use or alter individual state cannabis laws. Instead, it would reclassify marijuana under federal law, affecting areas such as research, taxation, pharmaceutical development, and certain criminal penalties.

The hearings are expected to attract significant attention from the cannabis industry, healthcare organizations, state regulators, and policy advocates as the federal government weighs one of the most consequential drug policy changes in decades.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas Cannabis Policy Institute (CPI) director Riana Durrett said that if rescheduling happens for the first time in U.S. history, the DOJ order will allow US-based institutions to import and export cannabis from overseas.

“This will be a very interesting change because there are still many other countries signed onto this United Nations treaty and they’ve treated cannabis with the same restrictions as the U.S.,” she said. “But now the U.S. appears to be moving in the direction of other countries that have legalized.

“One really well-known example is Canada, which has had a federal regulatory structure for about 10 years. Uruguay, Morocco, and a lot of European countries have also legalized medical marijuana. So, it’s slowly gaining acceptance around the world.”