Trump signs order to fast-track marijuana to Schedule III, says move is not legalization
Friday December 19, 2025
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US President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order easing restrictions on marijuana in the Oval Office on December 18 [Brendan Smialowski/AFP]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to expedite the federal reclassification of marijuana, setting in motion a shift from the most restrictive category of controlled substances to a less stringent tier.
The order requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to move quickly through the Drug Enforcement Administration’s process for reclassifying marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. In the U.S. system, drugs are divided into five schedules, with Schedule I the most restricted and Schedule V the least.
Marijuana is currently listed alongside heroin and LSD in Schedule I. Moving it to Schedule III would place it with substances such as ketamine and anabolic steroids, a change that would reduce federal barriers to research and ease some criminal penalties tied to the drug’s classification.
Trump emphasized the action does not legalize marijuana. “This is not the legalisation,” he said, adding the order “in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug.” He has argued the shift is popular because it “leads to tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify.”
Medical and academic researchers are expected to see an immediate benefit if the change is completed. Studies involving Schedule III drugs require far fewer approvals than those for Schedule I substances, a difference that has long frustrated scientists seeking to examine marijuana’s risks and potential therapeutic uses.
The federal move arrives as a growing number of states have legalized marijuana for medical and recreational use, creating a patchwork of regulations that conflict with federal law, under which marijuana remains illegal. Reclassification would not resolve those contradictions, but it could soften some of the tensions by making compliance and study easier in states where the drug is permitted.
Former President Joe Biden had previously moved to reduce federal penalties tied to marijuana, issuing a mass pardon for simple possession and beginning the process to shift marijuana to Schedule III. That effort was not completed before he left office in January.
Trump’s order drew pushback from within his party earlier this year, when 20 Republican senators urged him to maintain stricter controls. In a letter, they argued marijuana remains dangerous and warned a change would “undermine your strong efforts to Make America Great Again.”
Public sentiment has shifted sharply over the past two decades. Support for legalizing marijuana for recreational use nearly doubled from 36 percent in 2005 to 68 percent in 2024, according to Gallup polling.
What the order does, and doesn’t, change:
- It directs the attorney general to expedite DEA procedures to reclassify marijuana to Schedule III.
- It does not legalize marijuana federally or sanction recreational use.
- It would make federal research on marijuana significantly easier if the reclassification is finalized.
- It does not eliminate the patchwork between state legalization and federal prohibition.
The timetable for the DEA’s reclassification process was not immediately clear. The agency must still complete formal steps before any change takes effect. Trump framed the order as a way to align federal rules more closely with the realities in many states while unlocking studies that have been stymied by marijuana’s Schedule I status.
As the administration moves ahead, universities, pharmaceutical companies and health providers are expected to watch closely, anticipating an opening for broader clinical trials and clearer guidance on the drug’s medical applications. Lawmakers and advocacy groups on both sides of the issue signaled further debate ahead over how far the federal government should go in reshaping marijuana policy.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
