The pro-pot movement got its biggest federal policy win Thursday when President Trump removed marijuana from the list of most-restricted drugs and rescheduled it to allow for expanded medical research and applications.
Pot will be moved from a Schedule I drug like heroin, to a Schedule III drug like Tylenol with codeine under the Controlled Substances Act. It’s a win for cannabis advocates who were hoping to see such results under President Biden.
Mr. Trump said his move was something “having to do with common sense.”
“We have people begging for me to do this, people that are in great pain for decades,” Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office.
The president emphasized that his action does not legalize marijuana federally for recreational use, but the executive order will focus on increasing medical research for medical marijuana and CBD.
“The president is very focused on the potential medical benefits, and he has directed a common-sense approach that will start working to improve the medical marijuana and CBD research to better inform patients and doctors,” a senior administration official said.
The presidential order directs the attorney general to expedite the rescheduling and directs the White House deputy chief of staff to work with Congress to allow Americans to have access to cannabidiol, or CBD, products besides those that could cause health risks. It also calls for the Health and Human Services secretary to focus on researching and improving access to hemp-derived CBD products.
The Biden administration proposed a similar move, but didn’t get it done before leaving office.
Mr. Trump first floated the idea of rescheduling marijuana last August, saying it was complicated because “some people like it, some people hate it.”
The CSA says a Schedule I substance has no accepted medical uses and a high likelihood of abuse, but a Schedule III substance has accepted medical uses and a lower potential for abuse.
The order would not change the criminal penalties or legality of recreational marijuana use federally. The senior administration official also declined to say whether the president has plans to legalize recreational use.
