On Thursday, the Drug Enforcement Agency rescheduled CBD, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, from a Schedule 1 drug to a Schedule 5 drug. Although, not all CBD products are included under the rescheduling.

Only CBD products with low THC content, approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), are now considered to have proven medical use and low potential for abuse under the Schedule 5 category. While the DEA’s action does not necessarily remove all CBD products from Schedule 1 status, this is a major step toward increasing Americans’ access to cannabis-derived medications.

The medication that sparked the rescheduling is suspected to be Epidiolex, a cannabis-derived medication used to treat rare forms of epilepsy such as Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes. Currently, Epiodiolex is the only CBD medication that is not a Schedule 1 drug under the new DEA rules.

The FDA approved Epidiolex in June, marking the first time in U.S. history that a cannabis-derived medicine received the green-light from the FDA. Epidiolex’s approval, while monumental, created a major federal conflict.

How could a cannabis-derived medicine be approved by the FDA, yet still be considered a Schedule 1 drug? Under Schedule 1, substances such as heroin, LSD, and cannabis are considered to have no medicinal value with a high potential for abuse. This new rescheduling of CBD under FDA approval seems to be the fix.

Interestingly enough, the DEA issued a “clarifying rule” about CBD products and cannabis extracts less than 2 years ago.

Before the rule was issued in 2016, CBD products were not necessarily considered Schedule 1 drugs. Many believed the federal Farm Bill, which legalized hemp to some extent, protected CBD products. Then, in December of 2016, the DEA issued a rule stating that all cannabis extracts – including CBD – are considered to be Schedule 1 drugs. And now, less than two years later, the same DEA that issued the cannabis extracts rule has reclassified CBD as a Schedule 5 drug, under certain conditions of course.

GW Pharmaceuticals, the creator of Epidiolex, is surely reaping the rewards from this breakthrough drug reclassification.

The company’s stock ran up 8.3% in afternoon trade yesterday and reached an intraday high of $179.65. Volume spiked to 1.9 million shares, which is about four-times the full-day average.

While the DEA’s rescheduling of CBD products is definitely narrow, it could be paving the way for more cannabis-derived medications to be recognized and legitimized, federally. And hopefully, with more recognition, CBD can be utilized by those who need it.