State Minister for Industry and Commerce, Delano Seiveright has welcomed the United States’ decision to reclassify cannabis as less dangerous.

The BBC reports that the official reclassification by the US Department of Justice marks a major shift in that country’s Drug Policy.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday changed the classifications of products containing marijuana that are covered by the Food and Drug Administration or that have received a state medical-marijuana license.

They will move from a Schedule I narcotic like heroin to a schedule III drug – on par with Tylenol with codeine.

Mr. Seiveright says this is a clear signal of positive reform which matters to Jamaica.