The federal government is reclassifying medical marijuana, categorizing it as a drug with potential medical benefits and less potential for harm.

While this doesn't legalize marijuana nationally, it does open the door to further research into its effects.

Our William Brangham has been covering this and joins us now.

So, William, this is a move that President Trump tried to enact via executive order last year and is now being pushed by the Justice Department.

What are the practical implications of this reclassification? I mean, the biggest implication is

what you mentioned, Jeff, which is research into marijuana. By moving marijuana, and they moved state-level medical marijuana

from this category, Schedule 1, where hard drugs were classified, down to Schedule 3, which is

drugs that have medical benefits like Tylenol with codeine. That will allow greater research

to be done. In fact, acting Attorney

General Todd Blanche wrote as much today. He wrote, these actions will enable more targeted,

rigorous research into marijuana safety and efficacy, expanding patients' access to treatments,

and empowering doctors to make better informed health care decisions.

I mean, researchers had always been able to research marijuana, but there was an enormous thicket of bureaucracy to get through.

This will make it a lot easier.

This will also create quite a financial windfall for the companies that produce the recreational marijuana

products that are sold all over the country.

This change in status allows them to deduct a lot of their expenses off their taxes,

and so that's why some critics have called this move a giveaway to Big Pot.

And is that who wanted this shift to happen to have the federal government more overtly say that

marijuana isn't such a dangerous drug?

I mean, yes, in part, those companies wanted that.

Because as you mentioned, this is still illegal on the federal basis, but there's 40-something

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