President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug, allowing it to be lawfully prescribed as medication.
According to the DEA, Schedule I drugs are those deemed highly dangerous, addictive and without medical use. Examples include like heroin, ecstasy and peyote. Meanwhile, Schedule III drugs carry “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” Examples of Schedule III drugs include: Tylenol with codeine, ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone.
Despite the fact that 38 states and Washington DC allow medical marijuana use, the drug has been banned from medical use by the federal government since 1970, USA Today reports.
According to BBC news, marijuana will remain illegal but its reclassification allows additional research to be performed on its medicinal benefits.
The order directs the US attorney general to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I narcotic, to a Schedule III drug – placing it under the same category as Tylenol with codeine.
Cannabis will remain illegal at the federal level. But classifying it as a Schedule III narcotic would allow expanded research to be conducted into its potential benefits.
Source: BBC News: Trump expands access to cannabis in a major shift in drug policy. Bernd Debusmann Jr. 2025 Dec 18. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8z684r6vlo
