US health officials are recommending easing restrictions on marijuana, a move that sets the stage for potentially expanding the cannabis market.

A top official at the Department of Health and Human Services wrote Drug Enforcement Agency administrator Anne Milgram calling for marijuana to be reclassified as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act, according to a letter dated Aug. 29 seen by Bloomberg News. This would mark a critical shift from its current status as a Schedule I substance, which includes drugs with a high abuse risk like heroin.

[That would move marijuana out of the same category as heroin, and into a category that includes Tylenol Codeine, ketamine, and anabolic steroids. That makes sense from an enforcement standard, given that most states are either legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana even for recreational use. It would lead to fewer conflicts between states and the federal government on such deregulation, plus it seems like a more rational category given marijuana’s relative impact to other Schedule I drugs. — Ed]