Trump’s executive order could change the classification of marijuana in the US
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US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that would reclassify marijuana as a non-dangerous drug and open up new avenues for medical research – a major change in federal drug policy that is closer to what many states are doing.
The change would remove marijuana from its current status as a Schedule I drug, along with heroin and LSD.
Cannabis can instead be a Schedule III substance, like ketamine and other anabolic steroids. Reorganization of the Drug Enforcement Administration would not legalize adult recreational use nationwide, but it could change the way the drug is regulated and reduce the heavy tax burden on the marijuana industry.
The Republican president said he had received many phone calls in support of the measure and its ability to help patients. “We have people begging me to do this. People in great pain,” he said.
Similarly, the Justice Department under Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, proposed reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III substance.
Unlike Biden, Trump did not have open encouragement from the rest of his party for this move.
Some Republicans have spoken out against any changes and urged Trump to maintain the current standards. Such changes often require a difficult process, including a public comment period that has drawn tens of thousands of responses from across the US.
The DEA was in the process of being overhauled when Trump took office in January. Trump’s order is expected to speed up the process, although it was not immediately clear how long it would take.
Many states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana for adults or allowed it for medical purposes. But US laws remain strict, potentially leaving people vulnerable to federal prosecution.
Polling from Gallup shows that many Americans are returning to a less restrictive approach: support for the legalization of marijuana has grown significantly, from only 36 percent support in 2005 to 68 percent last year.
Trump’s order also calls for expanding research and access to CBD, a legal and increasingly popular hemp-based product whose benefits are disputed by experts.
The new Medicare program will allow older adults to access hemp-derived CBD free of charge, if recommended by a doctor, said Dr. Mehmet Oz, director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Government statistics show how much cannabis tax money has been collected in states since legalization. Alberta brought in just over $1 billion and leads in marijuana revenue collected per capita. Travis McEwan looks at why that might be.
Some Republicans oppose redistricting
More than 20 Republican senators, some of whom are Trump allies, signed a letter this year urging the president to keep marijuana as a Schedule I drug.
Led by Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina, the group argued that marijuana continues to be dangerous and that the change would “undermine your strong efforts to Make America Great Again.”
They also argue that marijuana negatively affects the physical and mental health of users, as well as road and work safety.
“The winners of the restructuring will be bad actors like Communist China, and the American people will be left paying the bill,” the letter said, referring to China’s position in the marijuana market.
As for legalizing marijuana, Trump has never committed to such a move, though he has considered reforming it for much of his second term. He has said as a candidate that it must always be a matter of state and state.
As president, he has made his war on other drugs, especially fentanyl, a feature of his second term, ordering attacks on US military vessels in Venezuela and other boats that the administration insists are carrying drugs.
He signed another executive order declaring fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority says the number of people seen in emergency rooms across the province with marijuana-related mental illness has grown to 165 last year from 116 in 2022.
