Hirsh Jain, a cannabis consultant at Ananda Strategy, told SFGATE by email that the rescheduling would likely benefit consumers by increasing the number of California’s cannabis stores, which have been shutting down as they struggle to stay profitable.

The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday moved to make marijuana use a less serious federal crime, taking a step to reclassify the drug out of a category that includes heroin in a shift that, once completed,

The federal government's plan would recategorize pot, once deemed highly dangerous, addictive and without medical use, as a prescribable medication.