The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) needs to change marijuana from a Schedule 1 drug, up there with heroin, cocaine, and opiates, to one that more accurately reflects marijuana's low addiction potential, and its many medical benefits.
Because it is still considered a Schedule 1 substance, criminal penalties for possession remain severe in many states.
Additionally medical marijuana research is blocked, and even hemp, a cannabis plant with no THC and many practical uses, has impossible legal barriers for cultivation.