Hillary Clinton calls for marijuana to be reclassified by feds

ORANGEBURG, S.C., Nov. 7 (UPI) -- In a speech in South Carolina, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for marijuana to be reclassified from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2 drug restrictions by the federal government, so more studies can be done on its potential medical use.

The former Secretary of State clarified her position on the drug while speaking at a town hall meeting at Clafin University, Politico reported, after not taking a position on federal policy during a Democratic presidential debate in October.

Marijuana is classified a Schedule 1 drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration, which means it is considered among the most dangerous group of drugs carrying a high potential for abuse and addiction. Drugs in the group include heroin and cocaine. The scheduling makes it difficult to conduct research on marijuana, despite it being legalized in several states for both medical and recreational use.

"I do support the use of medical marijuana," Clinton said to a predominantly African American audience at a town hall meeting at Clafin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. "And I think even there we need to do a lot more research so that we know exactly how we're going to help people for whom medical marijuana provides relief."

The position is a change from what she said during a Democratic presidential debate in October, when she expressed support for research on medical uses for pot in states that have legalized it medicinally but did not state an opinion on federal marijuana policy.