Trump Administration Moves to Reclassify Medical Marijuana and Accelerate Psychedelic Research
The Trump administration is reclassifying medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III and accelerating psychedelic research with a $50 million executive order. The FDA commissioner says marijuana has medical benefits but warns of potency and risks to youth. The DEA says the rescheduling process remains pending.
The acting attorney general signed an order reclassifying medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, moving it into the same category as ketamine and anabolic steroids. The change does not make cannabis legal nationwide and does not affect people with prior marijuana convictions, but officials said it will allow for more research into cannabis for medical use. For distributors in the 40 states with medical marijuana systems, it could mean tax benefits and fewer regulatory hurdles, while recreational marijuana remains unaffected.
Separately, the president signed an executive order easing restrictions on psychedelic research as a treatment for mental disorders, including depression and addiction. The order provides $50 million to support state-level efforts and instructs the Food and Drug Administration to accelerate its review of applications, which could ultimately lead to approval of such drugs. The FDA commissioner said the administration is also serious about preserving access to cannabis for medical conditions, such as chronic terminal cancer, while taking the potential harms of marijuana use among youth very seriously. He noted a dramatic increase in teens vaping THC in the four years prior to the administration and said today's marijuana is "10 to 20 times stronger" than in the past, with different effects on the developing adolescent mind, including a risk of psychosis diagnoses later in life and side effects such as cannabis hyperemesis syndrome.
The rescheduling process was initiated under the Biden administration, and the president issued an executive order in December directing the attorney general to expeditiously complete it. However, the Drug Enforcement Administration said last month that the cannabis rescheduling appeal process "remains pending" despite the executive order, and a Congressional Research Service report discussed how the Justice Department could reject the directive or delay it by restarting scientific review. The attorney general also missed a congressionally mandated deadline to issue guidelines for easing research barriers on Schedule I substances such as marijuana and psychedelics.
Under the previous administration, the FDA rejected an application to use MDMA in PTSD therapy, and the reclassification of marijuana was never completed. The administration's moves reflect a notable shift from the earlier "just say no" approach to drug policy, with advocates suggesting that a Republican administration may be able to act more boldly. Conservative opponents have warned of risks, and 22 Republican senators urged the president to abandon the reclassification idea, citing possible economic consequences and risks of addiction, with one senator warning that today's marijuana is far more potent than it was 10-20 years ago.