President Trump Signs Executive Order To Reclassify Marijuana

This is a highly debated move by President Trump.

On Thursday, President Trump signed an Executive Order that will speed up the process to reclassify marijuana.

The motive behind Trump’s Executive Order was to increase the opportunities for cannabis research.

The Hill reported more on Trump’s move:

President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to speed up the rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to the less severe Schedule III, with the stated goal of expanding cannabis research.

The executive order will direct the attorney general to expedite the completion of the rescheduling process. The Biden administration had begun the rescheduling process but left the matter unfinished by the time Trump assumed office. In August, Trump signaled he was open to finishing where Biden left off.

“The executive order the President will sign today is focused on increasing medical research for medical marijuana and CBD — cannabidiol,” a senior administration official said in a press briefing. “The president is very focused on the potential medical benefits, and he has directed a commonsense approach that will automatically … start working to improve the medical marijuana and CBD research to better inform patients and doctors. That’s the primary goal.”

Under the Controlled Substances Act, a Schedule I substance is considered to have no currently accepted medical uses. A Schedule III substance is believed to have a “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”

Administration officials cited reviews conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2023 that found more than 30,000 licensed health care practitioners across the country were able to recommend medical marijuana to more than 6 million registered patients for at least 15 conditions.

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JUST NOW: President Trump signs an Executive Order to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III alongside doctors, cancer patients, veterans, and law enforcement pic.twitter.com/4BBaVMlosm

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) December 18, 2025

President Trump during the announcement let it known he doesn’t condone people doing drugs:

🚨 JUST IN: President Trump shows America he is an AMAZING father ❤️

"I always told my children: don't take drugs, no drinking, no smoking, and just stay away from drugs! They'd say, 'Dad, would you stop saying that?' I'd say it every time I looked at them, practically!" pic.twitter.com/Rqa0jQ5Djv

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 18, 2025

The New York Times reported on trump’s Executive Order on marijuana more in-depth:

The move also authorizes a pilot program to reimburse Medicare patients for products made with CBD, a popular compound of cannabis that is not psychoactive.

Mr. Trump’s order would move marijuana from a Schedule I drug, the same category as heroin, to a schedule III drug, the same category as ketamine. But it does not legalize the drug, as some states have done, and would not affect law enforcement’s approach to making arrests connected to marijuana, according to senior administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the order.

Marijuana’s classification as one of the most dangerous and habit-forming substances has long drawn criticism, and re-categorizing the drug is an acknowledgment by the federal government that cannabis has some medicinal value and lower potential for abuse.

Mr. Trump’s order follows steps taken by the Biden administration to reclassify the drug, signaling a shift from both Republican and Democratic administrations in how the federal government views the substance.

But there is opposition to Mr. Trump’s move. Eighteen G.O.P. senators and 26 House Republicans recently wrote letters to the president opposing the reclassification. CatholicVote, a conservative nonprofit group, has also lobbied the president against the change.

“In light of the documented dangers of marijuana, facilitating the growth of the marijuana industry is at odds with growing our economy and encouraging healthy lifestyles for Americans,” the senators wrote. “We urge you to continue your strong leadership of our country and our economy, and to turn away from marijuana rescheduling.”

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