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Medical Marijuana is Federally Legal in Most States—Now What?

2026

The U.S. Department of Justice recently reclassified medical marijuana into a less restrictive category of drugs, recognizing certain legal uses of it at the federal level. This legal update discusses how this shift has potential implications for Community Action Agencies when assessing requests for accommodation from employees with medical marijuana cards, complying with the Federal Drug-Free Workplace Act, and conducting drug testing, especially for federal Department of Transportation programs. The reclassification does not impact the federal treatment of marijuana possessed, distributed, and used for recreational purposes, which remains in the most restrictive category of drugs.

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