President Donald Trump today signed an executive order directing the federal government to begin reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), marking one of the most significant federal shifts in U.S. drug policy in decades.
Since 1970, cannabis has been classified as a Schedule I substance, a category reserved for drugs considered to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, alongside substances such as heroin and LSD.
The new order instructs the attorney general to initiate the process to move cannabis into Schedule III, a classification for substances with moderate to low potential for dependence that recognizes legitimate medical use, similar to drugs like ketamine and anabolic steroids.
In the Oval Office ceremony, Trump said the change responds to growing public support and the medical needs of patients suffering from a variety of conditions, citing personal anecdotes he has heard from friends about their experiences with CBD and medical cannabis. He and several advisors who spoke referred to the plan as a “common sense” approach, expanding access to research and ease some business restrictions, and potentially empowering Medicare recipients to get full-spectrum CBD products free of charge with a doctor’s recommendation as soon as April 2026.
The reclassification does not legalize cannabis, but could significantly affect the legal cannabis industry by enabling companies to take federal tax deductions previously barred under Section 280E and could broaden research into cannabis-derived therapies.
The executive order also does not offer any new assistance or pathway to expungement or clemency for the thousands of Americans still incarcerated for cannabis-related crimes: a point that President Trump had brought up in his campaign against former Vice President Kamala Harris last year.
