President Trump signed an executive order Thursday rescheduling marijuana to a lower drug classification, a move that will ease federal restrictions on the drug without legalizing it at the federal level.
Trump’s executive order moves Marijuana from a Schedule I drug, a classification reserved for those drugs that are highly susceptible to abuse and have no known medical use, to a Schedule III substance, a designation that suggests it poses a low risk for abuse and may have some medical benefit. The directive is a major victory for the growing cannabis industry and the broader movement to legalize marijuana, a cause that took off last decade as many states voted to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational purposes.
“I want to emphasize that the order I am about to sign is not the legalization [of] marijuana in any way, shape, or form — and in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug,” Trump said in the Oval Office. He was surrounded by medical doctors and public health officials when signing the executive order.
Trump noted that he advises his children to avoid all drugs, including alcohol and cigarettes. Although he disavowed recreational marijuana usage, Trump believes medical marijuana has legitimate uses when carefully administered. His executive order could impact the ability of U.S. scientific institutions to conduct research on the effects of medical marijuana treatments.
“Marijuana can be legitimate in terms of medical applications when carefully administered in some cases. This may include the use as a substitute for addictive and potentially lethal opioid painkillers,” Trump said. “This reclassification order will make it far easier to conduct marijuana-related medical research, allowing us to study benefits, potential dangers, and future treatments,” he added.
Earlier this week, Trump took a similar tone and mentioned the potential research on medical marijuana as a justification for the executive order.
“We are considering that because a lot of people want to see it — the reclassification, because it leads to tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify. So, we are looking at that very strongly,” Trump said.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, announced at the signing ceremony a program that will allow Medicare-enrolled seniors to access CBD products. CBD is a compound from cannabis linked to reduced anxiety, although the research on it is limited.
“Today our innovation center at CMS is announcing a new model and additional actions to give our seniors access to cannabinoids. These are CBDs. They are not addictive, which many are already using to manage pain,” Dr. Oz said. The program will begin in April 2026 and eligible patients will be able to receive access to CBD products at no additional charge if their doctor recommends it.
Advocates for marijuana legalization have long argued that medical marijuana has well-documented physical and psychological benefits for patients dealing with illnesses such as cancer and glaucoma. They also highlight the tax revenue it brings and the popularity of marijuana as an alternative to alcohol.
Critics of marijuana legalization argue the higher potency of legal pot can harm teenage mental health and brain development, while making the drug more prone to abuse. They also highlight the continued existence of black markets for marijuana and the creation of a large marijuana industry that will profit off selling an addictive product.
“This is a giant gift to Big Marijuana and its pushers who are now more incentivized to target children with their highly addictive products,” said Dr. Kevin Sabet, a former drug policy official in the Bush and Obama administrations. Sabet, a prominent opponent of weed legalization, runs the anti-legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana. The group said it plans on suing the administration with former Attorney General Bill Barr leading the effort.
Ahead of the executive order, almost two dozen Republican Senators wrote a letter opposing Trump’s executive order because of the damage marijuana does to brain health and the harms of marijuana use on pregnant women.
“The evidence shows that marijuana is harmful to its users, especially to young people and women who are pregnant and nursing,” the GOP Senators wrote.
“Additionally, marijuana has long-term effects on brain health, including ‘permanent IQ loss’ when a person starts using marijuana at a young age. Lastly, babies are also at risk from marijuana, as marijuana use during pregnancy may result in ‘fetal growth restriction, premature birth, stillbirth, and problems with brain development, resulting in hyperactivity and poor cognitive function,'” they added.
“While supporters of rescheduling argue that extending tax benefits to marijuana businesses will create economic growth, the costs of workplace and vehicular accidents caused by increased marijuana usage far exceeds any perceived benefits—not to mention the moral costs of marijuana advertising that could reach kids.”
A group of House Republicans similarly urged Trump to reconsider the executive order because of the impacts of marijuana on America’s drug addiction crisis and the boon the executive order could provide to drug cartels. Trump has made fighting drug cartels central to his hardline approach on immigration and aggressive foreign policy in the western hemisphere.
Trump previously expressed support for softening federal marijuana laws during the 2024 presidential campaign as he sought younger voters. In last year’s presidential election, Trump benefited from a shift right among younger men, a target demographic for this executive order.
A recent Gallup poll found that 64 percent of Americans favor legalizing marijuana, a slight drop from last year but nonetheless a significant majority. The drop was driven largely by Republicans, whose support for legal weed fell from 53 percent last year to 40 percent in 2025. Support for legal marijuana remains overwhelming among Democrats, with 85 percent approving it. Two-thirds of independents also favor marijuana legalization.