Under President Biden, the Justice Department worked to reclassify marijuana after receiving 43,000 formal public comments on the topic. Two dozen states plus Washington, D.C., have authorized adult recreational use of marijuana, 40 have medical marijuana systems, and eight others allow low-THC cannabis or CBD oil for medical use. Only Idaho and Kansas ban marijuana outright. However, when Trump became president the Drug Enforcement Administration was still in the review process.
On Thursday, Wannabe Attorney General Todd Blanch signed an order reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug, a major policy shift long sought by advocates who said cannabis should never have been treated like heroin by the federal government.
The order signed by Todd Blanche does not legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use under U.S. law. But it does change the way it’s regulated, shifting licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I — reserved for drugs without medical use and with high potential for abuse — to the less strictly regulated Schedule III. It also gives licensed medical marijuana operators a major tax break and eases some barriers to researching cannabis.
State-licensed medical marijuana reclassified as less dangerous drug
Key points:
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order on April 23, 2026 moving state‑licensed medical marijuana and FDA‑approved products from Schedule I to Schedule III.
The rescheduling allows broader research on the safety and efficacy of marijuana and reduces federal constraints on the industry.
The order expedites the federal hearing process to consider a broader reclassification of marijuana under federal law.
Schedule I drugs are classified as having no medical use and high abuse potential, while Schedule III drugs are viewed as having moderate to low dependence potential.
Marijuana is legal for medical or recreational use in 45 states, and a Gallup poll last year showed 64% of Americans support legalization, up from 36% two decades ago.
The order comes days after Trump signed an Executive Order aiming to speed up research on drugs like psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine, helping to legitimize an industry that’s long lived largely underground.
- The White House psychedelics executive order accelerates research, clinical trials and “Right to Try” access for drugs like psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine.
- The order does not change the legal status of the drugs, but it reinforces a federal move toward medical, evidence-based framework for other alternative medicines, like cannabis, experts say.
- Psychedelics are constrained by limited safety and clinical data, while cannabis has a commercial head start.