The AP (12/18, Whitehurst, Barrow) reports the President signed an executive order Thursday that could reclassify “marijuana away from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD,” and instead would be “a Schedule III substance, like ketamine and some anabolic steroids.” While the reclassification by the Drug Enforcement Administration would not make cannabis legal for recreational use by adults nationwide, “it could change how the drug is regulated and reduce a hefty tax burden on the cannabis industry.” Furthermore, it will also “open new avenues for medical research,” and overall represents “a major shift in federal drug policy that inches closer to what many states have done.”
NBC News (12/18, Gregorian, Reichman, Dean) reports the order “directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to conclude the formal rescheduling process, which has been going on for more than a year, and move to publish a final rule that would reclassify cannabis.” It also “directs the White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs to work with Congress to allow people in the U.S. to benefit from access to CBD products while still restricting sale and access to products that pose serious health risks.”
Related Links:
— “Trump signs executive order that could reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug,”Lindsay Whitehurst and Bill Barrow , AP, December 18, 2025