Trump revives push to downgrade marijuana in federal drug laws

Marijuana might not be on the federal government’s list of most restricted drugs for much longer.

Mr. Trump told House Speaker Mike Johnson he wants to issue an executive order that directs agencies to move the drug from Schedule I to Schedule III, according to The Washington Post.

President Biden considered the move but didn’t move forward with it. Mr. Trump first floated the idea in August.

“Some people like it, some people hate it,” Mr. Trump said at the time. “Some people hate the whole concept of marijuana because it does bad for the children, it does bad for the people that are older than children.”

Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, reportedly pushed back on the idea, which is likely to face opposition from some conservative lawmakers.

Marijuana is on Schedule I alongside drugs such as heroin. Drugs on this schedule are considered to have a high risk for abuse and no accepted medical use.

Yet many states have approved recreational and medical marijuana programs, creating an awkward mismatch with federal laws and regulations.

Congress can make scheduling decisions by legislation, or the U.S. attorney general can schedule drugs through an administrative process that involves the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to the Congressional Research Service.

A move to Schedule III would put marijuana in league with painkillers like Tylenol and codeine.

Schedule III drugs are viewed as less likely to lead to abuse and may have a medical purpose, though they can lead to physical or psychological dependencies.

Two dozen states have legalized small amounts of marijuana for recreational use by adults, and 40 states have authorized some kind of medical marijuana program.

A White House official told The Washington Times on Friday that no final decisions have been made on the rescheduling of marijuana.

Many Democrats would support rescheduling. The idea is generally backed by liberals and libertarians.

“The Biden administration failed to reclassify marijuana. I urge the Trump administration not to make the same mistake,” Rep. Ted Lieu, California Democrat, said on X.

If Mr. Trump moves forward with rescheduling, the effort to unleash a fierce lobbying effort on both sides.

Rescheduling would reduce oversight of the drug and open the door to better tax treatment of marijuana companies.

Stocks for cannabis companies rose Friday when investors learned rescheduling was a live issue.

Kevin Sabet, president and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said rescheduling would “not be good for our country for many reasons.”

Mr. Sabet said cannabis companies are pushing Mr. Trump to reschedule marijuana because it would benefit them, and would make young people mistakenly think the drug is legalized.

“We’ve seen how disastrous this so-called experiment [with] marijuana legalization has been,” Mr. Sabet said in a social media video.

He said Mr. Trump appeared to be listening to some business associates and friends, and “not to the science, not to the data.”

His group, known as SAM, on Friday announced a six-figure ad buy that decries rescheduling as a “cartel tax cut.”

The ads will run on Fox News to reach the president’s political base.

Mr. Sabet said he would expect the Food and Drug Administration to enforce rules around Schedule III drugs if marijuana is rescheduled.