Trump signs executive order expediting marijuana reclassification after lobbying from cannabis industry
By Kit Maher, Steve Contorno, Sarah Owermohle
December 18, 2025
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to expedite the reclassification of marijuana – an effort to increase research on its medical use but not fully legalize it.
“This reclassification order will make it far easier to conduct marijuana-related medical research, allowing us to study benefits, potential dangers and future treatments,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “It’s going to have a tremendously positive impact.”
The order — which directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to hasten the process of loosening federal restrictions but does not include a timeline, according to senior administration officials — comes after an intensive lobbying campaign from the cannabis industry.
Cannabis is currently considered a Schedule 1 drug, along with heroin, LSD and ecstasy, which are not considered to have any acceptable medical use, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. It will eventually be reclassified as a Schedule III drug, which, according to the DEA, have “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”…
