The Los Angeles Times reports Monday that U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller in Sacramento held a five-day fact-finding hearing on the classification question late last year, and final arguments are scheduled for next month.
The newspaper says the case marks the first time in decades that a judge has agreed to consider marijuana’s designation as a Schedule 1 drug under the 1970 Controlled Substances Act.
Mueller’s decision came in response to a pretrial defense motion in a prosecution brought by the federal government against alleged marijuana growers.
Her ruling is expected later this year.
