Todd Blanche Orders Marijuana Rescheduled From Schedule I To Schedule III

The Trump administration moved to reclassify marijuana under federal law, with the Department of Justice announcing that acting attorney general Todd Blanche signed an order on Thursday to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III.

“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”

AP News

Multiple outlets described the change as a federal policy shift aimed at expanding medical research while keeping marijuana illegal for recreational use under federal law.

AP News

The Washington Post said the Justice Department “announced that it was loosening restrictions on marijuana to boost medical research,” and it emphasized that the order “does not decriminalize marijuana for recreational use.”

The BBC similarly reported that Blanche changed classifications of products containing marijuana covered by the Food and Drug Administration or that had received a state medical-marijuana licence, moving them “from a Schedule I narcotic like heroin to a Schedule III drug - on par with Tylenol with codeine.”

NBC News described the move as easing restrictions on state-licensed medical marijuana and said Blanche ordered an “expedited hearing” to fully reschedule the drug.

In the Reuters-free set of sources provided here, the core action is consistent across outlets: Schedule III is described as less restrictive than Schedule I, and the administration framed the move as enabling research into “safety and efficacy.”

The BBC also stated that once the rule change is published in the Federal Register, it has “30 days until it takes effect,” and that during that time it can be legally challenged.

The policy change is explicitly tied to the Controlled Substances Act framework and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s scheduling system, with outlets repeatedly contrasting Schedule I’s “high potential for abuse” with Schedule III’s lower dependence risk.

The order’s scope is described in the sources as focused on FDA-approved marijuana products and state-licensed medical marijuana, rather than a blanket legalization.

USA Today reported that the order “moves state-licensed medical marijuana from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III,” and it specified that Blanche signed the order April 23, moving “marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration or licensed by states from Schedule I” to Schedule III.

BBC

The AP said the order “does not legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use under federal law,” but it “shifts 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.”

Scientific American likewise said the move “removes these products from the Schedule I category” and “does not legalize medical or recreational cannabis products on the federal level.”

The Hill described the same basic boundaries, stating it “does not legalize marijuana use under federal law, but it will impact the 40 states that have approved medical marijuana programs.”

Several outlets also tied the change to the Controlled Substances Act definitions and the practical research barriers created by Schedule I.

Scientific American quoted the Schedule I standard as including drugs with “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” and it contrasted that with Schedule III’s “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”

AP added that the order “eases some barriers to researching cannabis” and “gives licensed medical marijuana operators a major tax break.”

Alongside the immediate Schedule III change for state-licensed and FDA-approved products, the administration set an expedited federal process to consider broader reclassification.

“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”

BBC

USA Today said the Department of Justice is “expediting the hearing process” and reported that the Drug Enforcement Administration “will hold an administrative hearing on the issue June 29.”

The Hill similarly stated that “The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will hold an administrative hearing beginning on June 29 to consider this rescheduling request.”

BBC described the hearing as part of a rule-making process, saying Blanche “also called a hearing to consider reclassifying all marijuana,” and it noted the Federal Register timing and the “30 days until it takes effect” window.

AP said the administration was “jump-starting the process for reclassifying marijuana more broadly, setting a hearing to begin in late June.”

In the sources, the administration’s stated rationale for the process is consistent: DOJ and Blanche repeatedly frame the change as enabling research and better clinical decisions.

Scientific American quoted Blanche’s statement that “This rescheduling action allows for research on the safety and efficacy of this substance,” and it added that it would provide “patients with better care and doctors with more reliable information.”

NBC News included Blanche’s X post language that he had signed an executive order to “immediately reschedule” and ordered an “expedited hearing,” tying the process to “more research and treatment options.”

Reactions in the sources split between advocates and opponents, with multiple named figures offering contrasting interpretations of what the rescheduling does and what it signals.

AP reported that the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp president 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.”

Forbes

AP also quoted Kevin Sabet, chief executive of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, who derided the move as a tax break and said, “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.”

Sabet added, “With this move, we are now confronted with the most pro-drug administration in our history,” and he said, “Policy is now being dictated by marijuana CEOs, psychedelics investors, and podcasters in active addiction.”

The BBC included a different critic and a different framing, quoting Morgan Fox of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (Norml) as saying the change will open policy conversations, with Fox saying, “Moving it out of that classification allows us to have policy conversations that don't start and end with that definition.”

Fox also argued, “The real solution to the issue is to de-schedule cannabis at the federal level, not just move to Schedule III, and then start changing the laws in regulatory ways that provide guidance, so we can get a little bit of uniformity.”

On the industry side, CNBC quoted Tilray CEO Irwin Simon saying, “This is about people: patients fighting cancer, seniors managing chronic pain, veterans navigating PTSD, and children with epilepsy whose families have long sought safe, effective options.”

The sources also include a statement from DEA Administrator Terry Cole, who said in a statement, “Our men and women in law enforcement remain committed to fighting drug cartels, the fentanyl epidemic and protecting American lives,” linking the process to continued enforcement priorities.

The rescheduling move is presented in the sources as part of a wider political and policy timeline that includes executive actions on other controlled substances and changes in the Justice Department leadership.

“The Trump administration moved Thursday to reclassify cannabis under federal law, which could significantly expand scientific research into the drug's medical uses”

CNBC

The Guardian reported that the move came “more than four months after Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the attorney general to move it from schedule I to schedule III,” and it said Trump’s acting attorney general Todd Blanche signed the order “on Thursday.”

NBC News

The Guardian also described how the marijuana rescheduling was linked to Trump’s complaints about pace, quoting Trump as saying federal officials were “slow-walking” the process and asking, “You’re going to get the rescheduling done, right, please? Will you get the rescheduling done, please?”

The Guardian further said the move came “mere days after Trump signed an executive order to speed a review of psychedelic drugs,” and it specified that the review included ibogaine, “found in the root bark of a west African shrub.”

The Hill described the December executive order as directing officials to “expedite the rescheduling process,” and it quoted Trump warning during the signing ceremony that “If it’s abused, it’s never safe to use powerful, controlled substances in recreational matters.”

USA Today added that the DOJ order April 23 followed through on Trump’s Dec. 18 executive action and said it was “aimed at finalizing a reclassification push begun under President Joe Biden.”

The Guardian also included a political actor, saying Roger Stone told Marijuana Moment it was “vitally important” to get marijuana reclassified before the midterm elections.

Finally, the sources describe public opinion and polling, with the Guardian citing an Economist/YouGov poll that found “53% of adults supported legalizing the drug” and a NuggMD survey that found “83% said they support Trump’s executive order.”