Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche Reclassifies State-Licensed Medical Marijuana From Schedule I to Schedule III

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order on Thursday reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug, shifting it from Schedule I to Schedule III.

The AP described the change as “a major policy shift long sought by advocates,” while also emphasizing that it “does not legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use under federal law.”

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Under the order, licensed medical marijuana operators receive “a major tax break” and the policy “eases some barriers to researching cannabis,” according to AP’s account of what the order does.

The BBC reported that the Department of Justice changed the classifications of products containing marijuana that are covered by the Food and Drug Administration or that have received a state medical-marijuana licence, moving them “from a Schedule I narcotic like heroin to a Schedule III drug.”

CBS News similarly said the order places “FDA-approved products containing marijuana and products regulated by a state medical marijuana license in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.”

Multiple outlets also tied the action to a broader process: AP said the Trump administration “setting a hearing to begin in late June,” while the BBC said Blanche “called a hearing to consider reclassifying all marijuana,” and NBC News reported an “expedited hearing” and a hearing on June 29.

The reclassification is framed as a federal adjustment that still leaves marijuana illegal at the federal level, with AP noting that “Marijuana or marijuana-derived products that are not distributed through a state medical marijuana program will continue to be classified in Schedule I.”

Across outlets, the order’s practical effect is described as a shift in how certain marijuana products are regulated under the Controlled Substances Act, while leaving other marijuana in Schedule I.

The BBC said Blanche changed classifications for products containing marijuana that are covered by the Food and Drug Administration or that have received a state medical-marijuana licence, and it described Schedule III as “on par with Tylenol with codeine.”

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CBS News provided additional detail about the scope, saying the order “places FDA-approved products containing marijuana and products regulated by a state medical marijuana license in Schedule III,” and it listed that Schedule I includes drugs with a “high potential for abuse and the potential to create severe psychological and/or physical dependence.”

CBS News also said the order applies to “marijuana, marijuana extracts and marijuana-derived compounds, like delta-9 THC,” when they are “included in an FDA-approved drug product or are subject to a state-issued license to manufacture, distribute, and/or dispense marijuana or products containing marijuana for medical purposes.”

CBS News further reported that the order notes “any form of marijuana other than in an FDA-approved drug product or marijuana subject to a state medical marijuana license remains a schedule I controlled substance.”

NBC News described the classification change as “moving to ease restrictions on state-licensed medical marijuana,” and it quoted Blanche’s statement that the rescheduling action “allows for research on the safety and efficacy of this substance.”

USA Today said the order creates an “expedited registration” process for companies with state medical marijuana licenses and “also has tax benefits for the industry.”

The order drew immediate reactions from advocates, industry-linked groups, and critics who oppose legalization.

“Trump reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug in a historic shift Trump reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug in a historic shift WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s acting attorney general on Thursday 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”

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Blanche’s statement was echoed across multiple reports, with AP quoting him saying the rescheduling action “allows for research on the safety and efficacy of this substance, ultimately providing patients with better care and doctors with more reliable information,” and the BBC repeating that same language in its account of the announcement.

AP also reported that the president of the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp, Michael Bronstein, called it “the most significant federal advancement in cannabis policy in over 50 years,” and Bronstein said in a written statement, “This action recognizes what Americans have long known, cannabis is medicine.”

Adam J. Smith, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, welcomed the move in a statement quoted by CBS News, saying “Rescheduling cannabis is a historic move towards sanity in cannabis policy,” while also arguing that “a move to Schedule III stops short of the systemic change we need.”

On the opposing side, Kevin Sabet, chief executive of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, derided the decision as a tax break for the industry, with AP quoting Sabet saying, “there are many ways to increase our knowledge without giving a tax break to Big Weed and sending a confusing message about marijuana’s harms to the American public.”

The Hill reported Sabet’s statement shared on X, saying, “We are now confronted with the most pro-drug administration in our history … Policy is now being dictated by marijuana CEOs, psychedelics investors and podcasters in active addiction — it is a travesty and injustice to the American people of unprecedented proportions.”

White House spokesperson Kush Desai defended the move in statements reported by NBC News and The Hill, with NBC quoting Desai saying the Justice Department’s move “is a welcome step to increase critical research into possible medical applications of cannabis.”

Several outlets emphasized that the rescheduling order creates a bifurcated federal picture that interacts with state systems, and that the next step is an administrative hearing that can be challenged.

The BBC said that once the rule change is published in the Federal Register, it has 30 days until it takes effect, and during that time it “can be legally challenged - which is expected - and be blocked from being implemented for months or even years.”

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CNN described the policy as splitting the industry into “two tiers,” quoting Colorado-based attorney Rachel Gillette saying, “They’ve bifurcated one plant into two different schedules, which is very odd to me,” and Gillette said the order “opens up more questions than answers.”

CNN also reported that the hearing is before a judge in June and that the effort is “likely to face swift legal challenges from critics who say that the downgrade could encourage recreational use of a harmful drug,” while Smart Approaches to Marijuana said it would take legal action immediately.

NBC News said the hearing June 29 would “evaluate broader changes to marijuana’s status under federal law,” and it described the Justice Department as moving to “expedite the process to reclassify marijuana more broadly.”

USA Today similarly said the DEA will hold an administrative hearing on the issue on June 29, and it described the order as following through on President Trump’s Dec. 18 executive action.

In contrast, Spectrum News quoted Smart Approaches to Marijuana condemning “the Trump administration's illegal move to skip procedural requirements and reschedule marijuana from schedule I to schedule III without following federal law.”

The order is repeatedly framed as enabling research and changing tax treatment, while also setting up a timeline for broader rescheduling.

“Trump administration reclassifies cannabis as less dangerous The US Department of Justice has officially reclassified cannabis as less dangerous, marking a major shift in the country's drug policy”

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AP said the order “gives licensed medical marijuana operators a major tax break” and “eases some barriers to researching cannabis,” and it described an expedited system for state-licensed medical marijuana producers and distributors to register with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

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Forbes said the move “will also facilitate “research on the safety and efficacy of this substance,”” and it described Schedule III drugs as having “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence,” while also noting that the change “does not legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use under federal law.”

NBC News reported that the hearing June 29 would “evaluate broader changes to marijuana’s status under federal law,” and it quoted Blanche’s statement that the rescheduling action “allows for research on the safety and efficacy of this substance.”

USA Today said the order creates an “expedited registration” process for companies with state medical marijuana licenses that enables them “to engage in the manufacture, distribution, and/or dispensing of marijuana for medical purposes under federal law,” and it also said the order “also has tax benefits for the industry.”

AP described the longer arc, saying the Trump administration also said it was “jump-starting the process for reclassifying marijuana more broadly,” and it reported that Trump had told his administration in December to work “as quickly as possible” to reclassify marijuana.

The BBC added that the hearing is part of a rule-making process to reclassify all marijuana more broadly, and it said the change comes after Trump signed an executive order intended to boost access to psychedelic drugs for medical treatment.