Schedule I
Pronounced / SKEJ·ool WUN /
The strictest category of the federal Controlled Substances Act, for drugs considered to have high abuse potential and no accepted medical use.
Example in a sentence
“Marijuana has been in Schedule I since the Controlled Substances Act was passed in 1970.”
Also called Schedule 1, rescheduling
Read more about Schedule I
Federal Law
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III
On August 30, 2023, HHS formally recommended to the DEA that marijuana be reclassified from Schedule I to Schedule III after the…
Federal Law
President Biden pardons federal simple marijuana possession offenses and orders a formal Schedule I review
On October 6, 2022, President Joe Biden issued a categorical pardon for federal and D.C. simple cannabis possession offenses and directed HHS…
Federal Law
Congress passes the Controlled Substances Act, placing marijuana in Schedule I
Signed on October 27, 1970, the Controlled Substances Act replaced the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act and placed cannabis in Schedule I alongside…
Business
Justice Department issues order placing state-licensed medical cannabis in Schedule III as DEA hearings and federal dispensary registrations begin
Following a December 2025 executive order, the Justice Department issued an April 23, 2026 order moving FDA-approved and state-licensed medical cannabis into…
Federal Law
Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act signed into law—the first standalone federal cannabis reform bill
Passing the House 325–95 and the Senate by unanimous consent before being signed on December 2, 2022, H.R. 8454 became the first…
Federal Law
The 2018 U.S. Farm Bill removes hemp and hemp-derived CBD from the Controlled Substances Act
Signed into law on December 20, 2018 after overwhelming bipartisan votes in Congress, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 federally descheduled cannabis…