Trump signs order recommending reclassifying marijuana as a ‘less dangerous’ drug | World

According to government officials, the order directs the attorney general to move quickly with the reclassification of marijuana — a process that could lead to the psychoactive plant being listed alongside common painkillers, ketamine and testosterone, as a less dangerous drug.

Such a decision would represent one of the most significant federal changes to marijuana policy in decades and could reshape the the cannabis industry, ease criminal penalties, free up billions of dollars in research funding, and open long-closed doors to banks and investors.

Marijuana, however, would remain illegal at the federal level and subject to a patchwork of local laws across the country. “We have people begging me to do this, people who have been suffering intensely for decades,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Relax regulations on medicines

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will need to review the recommendation to classify marijuana as a Schedule III drug under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act and decide whether to reclassify it.

The text of Trump’s order is not yet public. The authorities stated that The primary goal of the order is to expand medical research on marijuana and related products to understand their risks and therapeutic potential.

Service centers Medicare and Medicaid plans to allow certain beneficiaries to use hemp-derived CBD products.

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug worldwide and in the United States. Nearly one in five U.S. residents use it each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Millions of Americans have been arrested for drug possession, even as booming publicly traded companies sell cannabis-related products.

Under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance, just like marijuana is. heroin, ecstasy and peyote. This classification indicates a high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use.

Schedule III drugs are considered less addictive and have legitimate medical uses. Even with reclassification, marijuana would continue to be treated as a federally controlled substance, the use of which would be subject to strict restrictions and criminal penalties.

Cannabis company stocks rise

Still, early reports that Trump may ease restrictions on psychoactive drugs have boosted shares of cannabis-related companies.

Financing remains one of the biggest challenges for cannabis producers, as federal restrictions keep most banks and institutional investors out of the sector, forcing producers to turn to expensive loans or alternative financiers.

“Organigram Global views the potential reclassification of cannabis in the United States as an important regulatory signal for the global cannabis industry,” a company spokesperson said. “This change marks an important step toward greater regulatory clarity and institutional acceptance of cannabis worldwide. »

There is a patchwork of laws at the local level, ranging from states where use and possession are completely legal to states where it is completely illegal. Since California first allowed the medical use of marijuana in 1996, there has been a 30-year trend toward loosening regulations. It’s an issue that transcends party lines: A majority of Americans tell pollsters they favor full legalization.

During his term from 2021 to 2025, the former Democratic president Joe Biden granted a broad pardon for most federal marijuana possession charges and launched a review of the drug’s status. As a result of this review, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended moving marijuana to Schedule III.