For decades, the federal government has classified cannabis as a Schedule I substance, deeming it to have a "high potential for abuse" and "no currently accepted medical use in treatment" in the U.S. But now, half a century after the Controlled Substances Act placed marijuana alongside heroin and LSD, the Biden administration is on the cusp of reclassifying cannabis as Schedule III, The Associated Press reported last week. 

The reclassification would mark a new era in America's often contradictory relationship with a substance already legalized in some form in more than half the states. Crucially, reclassification is not full federal legalization. So what would the administration's more permissive pot posture actually do? 

Scientific study and medical use
Perhaps the biggest change reclassification would bring is expanding the ability for the government to conduct further research into the health benefits of cannabis. As a Schedule I substance, scientific studies of cannabis have faced "something of a catch-22: calls for more research but barriers to doing it," with researchers sometimes relying on "people's own reports of their marijuana use" rather than clinical testing, the AP said. 

Reclassification also means the government acknowledges cannabis, like all other Schedule III substances, has an "accepted medical use and may lawfully be dispensed by prescription," the Congressional Research Service said. However, the Food and Drug Administration must approve any such prescriptions. Though the agency has green-lit medications "derived from or related to cannabis, marijuana itself is not an FDA-approved drug." States with medical marijuana programs in place already have "some federal protections in place" that restrict the Justice Department from interfering, which will remain unchanged by reclassification, CNN said. 

The business of bud
Reclassifying cannabis would have a major impact on the booming, but still legally murky, marijuana industry as a whole. Under Schedule I rules, cannabis marketers operating in states that have legalized marijuana faced "punishing IRS levies" that in turn created "perverse incentives for black market operators to remain in the shadows," Rolling Stone said.

Some experts say rescheduling won't ease banking challenges for the cannabis industry, which has dealt almost exclusively in cash for lack of banking options. No matter its Schedule placement, cannabis would "still be illegal under federal law, and that is a line many banks in this country will not cross," said American Bankers Association spokesperson Blair Bernstein. Ultimately, many preexisting tensions between states with legal cannabis and the federal government will likely remain unchanged. 

A long-standing feud between two of the world's most famous hip-hop artists has "exploded into full-bore acrimony and unverifiable accusations," said The New York Times. Canadian music titan Drake and Compton, California-born Kendrick Lamar, the first rapper to win a Pulitzer Prize, have "rapid-fire-released" multiple songs over the past two weeks. The tracks have been "littered with attacks," accusing their rival of sexual and physical abuse, as well as jabs at "hypocrisy, generational trauma and more," said the Times. 

On Tuesday, the saga took an alarming turn when a security guard was shot and seriously injured outside Drake's Toronto home. An investigation is ongoing, and neither artist has commented publicly on the incident. 

The background
Drake and Lamar have long maintained an "icy frenemy rapport," said the Times, but the feud went "nuclear" in March after Lamar's guest verse on the track "Like That" was widely perceived to include a jab at Drake, unleashing what has become a furious war of words. At first, the beef seemed like nothing more than "two insanely accomplished rich guys chasing a thrill," said Pitchfork, but it has since escalated into some of the "most bizarre, uncomfortable, overwhelming and evil diss tracks ever." 

What next? 
Lamar is clearly winning, said Ryan Broderick, the author of the "Garbage Day" newsletter. He has waged a "total online war against Drake," packing his verses with "investigative journalism" and "dense references" for fans to pick apart online. 

Those who adore Drake for pop megahits like "Hotline Bling" or "One Dance" won't care about the outcome of the beef, said Billboard. But in the rap world, Drake's loss against "hip-hop's cerebral assassin will certainly muddy his standing." After all, "you don't get brownie points for coming in second place in hip-hop." 

The allegations the pair have flung at one another go well beyond "typical rap beef shenanigans" and are "so serious they will hang over their legacies forever," said Pitchfork. Listening to these superstars drag each other through the dirt — "for what? Entertainment? Competition? Ego? Boredom?" — sounds like the "death knell of an entire era."