Trump also said he is considering reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug
Green Thumb Industries founder and CEO Ben Kovler breaks down the White House’s potential move to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III on ‘The Claman Countdown.’
President Donald Trump on Monday insisted he is considering whether to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a statement that echoes similar comments he made earlier this year and during his 2024 presidential campaign.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, the president said he is considering an executive order to classify marijuana as a Schedule III drug.
“We’re considering that. A lot of people want to see it, redistricting, because it leads to a lot of research that can’t be done unless you redistrict,” Trump said Monday.
“So we’re looking at that a lot,” he continued.
TRUMP CONSIDERS RECLASSIFYING MARIJUANA AS A LESS DANGEROUS DRUG: REPORT
President Donald Trump has said he is considering whether to reclassify marijuana as a dangerous drug. (Getty Images / Getty Images)
A White House official said Friday that “no final decisions have been made regarding the redistricting of marijuana.”
Marijuana’s current listing as a Schedule I substance puts it in the same category as heroin, ecstasy and peyote, meaning it has high abuse potential and no currently accepted medical use. Schedule III drugs include Tylenol mixed with codeine, ketamine and testosterone.
A potential move to remove marijuana from the Schedule I controlled substance list and make it a Schedule III drug would make it much easier to buy and sell marijuana and make the marijuana industry more profitable.
Redistricting is different from legalizing marijuana, as federal penalties for marijuana use and possession will remain. However, the reorganization would loosen barriers to research and could impact the multibillion-dollar marijuana industry.
This move could reform the industry by reducing taxes and making it easier to get subsidies.
Marijuana’s current listing as a Schedule I substance puts it in the same category as heroin, ecstasy and peyote. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Previous reports that Trump may ease federal restrictions on the psychoactive drug market for cannabis companies.
Trump supported drug reform during the presidential campaign. He also said that in August he is considering whether he will plan again.
But Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who supports redistricting, accused Trump of trying to “fool” Americans into “believing he just legalized pot” by making the redistricting move.
“Trump is going to try to make everyone believe that he just legalized pot. It’s not right. He didn’t legalize marijuana or erase the records of black and Latino people who were arrested for minor drug offenses. This is just an attempt to boost his dismal approval ratings,” Wyden told X.
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President Donald Trump said he is considering an executive order to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug. (Reuters/Kent Nishimura/Reuters Images)
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The Biden administration had begun pursuing marijuana reform but did not make the change before the former president left office.
There were several bills presented to Congress by Democrats and Republicans over the years to reduce marijuana’s classification to a Schedule III drug or remove it entirely from the list of controlled substances. Federal lawmakers also want to make the plant illegal.
But these measures have not yet been signed into law.
More than 40 states have legalized medical marijuana, while 24 states and Washington, DC, have also legalized recreational marijuana.
Reuters contributed to this report.
