Trump Weighs Executive Order to Reclassify Marijuana
President Donald Trump is reportedly considering signing an executive order directing federal agencies to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act.
Schedule I drugs are defined as having no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, a category that currently includes heroin and LSD. Reclassifying cannabis to Schedule III would place it alongside substances like ketamine and anabolic steroids, acknowledging accepted medical use and lowering perceived risk.
Practically, the change could ease restrictions on scientific research, open the door to expanded medical applications, and significantly alter the business landscape for legal cannabis companies. One immediate impact would be tax relief: companies could potentially avoid the punitive IRS rule that prevents Schedule I and II businesses from deducting ordinary expenses.
But the debate over marijuana’s classification has deep roots. Cannabis was widely used in medicines in the 19th and 20th centuries before being criminalized through a series of laws, culminating in its Schedule I placement in 1970. Since then, public opinion and state policy have shifted dramatically. Today, the majority of states allow medical marijuana, and many have even legalized its recreational use, creating a patchwork system at odds with federal law.
A move to Schedule III would not legalize nor decriminalize marijuana nationwide, but it would signal a federal recalibration reflecting modern science and voter sentiment. Politically, it could also be seen as an attempt to increase Trump’s approval from younger Americans and states with robust cannabis economies. Wether the executive order materializes or survives legal scrutiny, the discussion underscores a broader reckoning with America’s long, conflicted history with weed.
