Trump Admin Begins Process to Downgrade Marijuana Classification

DOJ placed cannabis products under Schedule III and launched an expedited process to reconsider the drug’s broader federal classification.

President Donald Trump (L) displays an executive order with Howard Kessler (R) that Trump signed in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 18, 2025, in Washington. During the ceremony, Trump signed the order reclassifying marijuana as a schedule III drug. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The Trump administration announced it is moving forward with the reclassification of approved marijuana, or cannabis, products as a less dangerous drug under federal law.

The shift in federal policy will place Food and Drug Administration-approved products containing marijuana and marijuana products regulated by a state medical marijuana license in the Schedule III category of the Controlled Substances Act.