The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has taken some cannabidiol out of the most restrictive class of controlled substances, a move that allows the sale of the first nonsynthetic, cannabis-derived medicine to win federal approval.
It’s a decision that immediately affects CBD producers but also signals the agency’s first admission that the plant has medical value.
The DEA announced Thursday that drugs including CBD with THC content below 0.1% are now considered Schedule 5 drugs, as long as they have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
It is the first time the agency has lowered any type of cannabis from Schedule 1.
