US President Donald Trump signed an executive order recommending the easing of federal marijuana regulations, a potentially significant shift in the country's drug policy. The measure directs the attorney general to advance reclassification of the drug, possibly moving it from Schedule I to Schedule III. The decision aims to boost medical research and could affect the cannabis industry, though marijuana would remain federally illegal.
On Thursday, Donald Trump signed an executive order urging the easing of federal marijuana regulations, according to high-ranking administration officials. This action marks one of the most significant federal changes in marijuana policy in decades and directs the attorney general to swiftly advance the reclassification of the psychoactive plant.
Currently, marijuana is classified under Schedule I of the US Controlled Substances Act, alongside heroin, ecstasy, and peyote, indicating high abuse potential and no accepted medical use. The proposed reclassification would place it in Schedule III, next to common painkillers, ketamine, and testosterone, acknowledging legitimate medical uses and lower addictiveness. However, even with this change, marijuana would remain a federally controlled substance subject to strict restrictions and criminal penalties.
"We have people begging me to do this, people who have been suffering for decades," Trump told journalists at the White House. The primary goal is to increase medical research on marijuana and related products to assess risks and therapeutic benefits. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) must review this recommendation, and the order's text has not yet been published.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plan to allow some beneficiaries to use CBD products derived from hemp. The news boosted cannabis company stocks, easing challenges like financing, as federal restrictions have kept most banks and institutional investors away from the sector.
"Organigram Global considers the potential reclassification of cannabis in the United States as a significant regulatory signal for the global cannabis industry," stated a company spokesperson. Marijuana is the most consumed illicit drug in the US, with nearly one in five residents using it annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
