Pecohub President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order as early as Wednesday to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug, a move that would ease federal restrictions on the substance, according to two senior administration officials familiar with the matter.
Marijuana is currently listed as a Schedule I drug under the guidelines of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Reclassifying it to Schedule III would place it among substances considered to have a “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence” and a lower risk of abuse compared with higher-schedule drugs.
Although the move would not amount to full legalisation, the executive order is expected to acknowledge that the current classification has hindered scientific research into the safety and effectiveness of marijuana for potential medical use, the officials said.
The order is also expected to state that the prolonged delay in rescheduling marijuana has not served Americans who could benefit from its possible medical applications, particularly in the treatment of chronic pain and other illnesses.
Speaking on Monday, Trump confirmed that his administration was actively considering the move, noting that reclassification could unlock significant research opportunities.
“Because a lot of people want to see it, the reclassification, because it leads to tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify. So we are looking at that very strongly,” he said.
Reports first emerged in August that the administration was weighing the option. Trump later described the issue as “complicated” but said he was interested after hearing “great things” about medical marijuana.
