President Trump signed an order Thursday telling federal agencies to chill out on national pot rules. It’s another big move in US drug policy and could speed up changes that have been stuck in Washington for years.
The order tells the attorney general to hurry up and change how pot is classified under federal law. If it happens, pot would be in the same group as common painkillers, ketamine, and testosterone. It would be seen as less risky than it is now.
This could be one of the biggest changes to pot laws in years. It could shake up the pot industry, open up research money, and get lenders and investors interested. Democrats like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are happy, but many Republicans are not.
Trump said pot will still be illegal under federal law, and each state can still do its thing. Industry folks said only Congress can make things stable, especially for businesses that want bank loans and standard rules.
People have been begging me to do this, people that are in serious pain for years, Trump told reporters at the White House. He doesn’t drink or do drugs and said these things have risks and he wouldn’t use them.
I don’t want it, okay, he said. I’m not gonna be taking it. But many people do want it. A lot of people need it.
Officials said the main thing here is to do more medical research on pot to know the good and bad. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is getting ready to let some people get hemp CBD stuff starting in April.
Republicans aren’t happy. Some in Congress told Trump to forget it, saying it sends the wrong message to America’s children, helps drug cartels, and makes roads more dangerous.
Pot is still the most used illegal drug in the US and worldwide. Almost one in five Americans use it every year, says the CDC. Millions have been arrested for having it, even as companies keep selling pot products.
Experts think cops and judges might lighten up on pot crimes as things change.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has to look at changing pot to a Schedule III drug. It has been dragging its feet.
Right now, pot is a Schedule I drug with heroin, ecstasy, and peyote. That is for drugs that are very risky and not seen as medically useful. Schedule III drugs are seen as less risky and good for medical use.
Even if it is changed, pot will still be controlled by the feds, with rules and penalties. State and local laws will still be all over the place. California made medical pot legal in 1996. Since then, things have become more legal and penalties have dropped.
Pot stocks jumped after the news. Stocks like Tilray, Aurora Cannabis, SNDL, and Canopy Growth went up between 6% and 12%.
Getting money is still hard for pot companies because banks and investors are scared. They use expensive lenders or private money, and the black market is still around because it is costly to be legal.
This is a big step towards clearer rules and acceptance of pot worldwide, said a rep from Organigram Global.
Most Americans now want pot to be legal. From 2021 to 2025, President Biden pardoned many federal pot possession convictions and started looking at the drug’s legal status. Then, the Department of Health and Human Services said it should be a Schedule III drug. has been trying to look tough on crime, including going after drug dealers and sending the military to cities, which has gotten him some flak. Sometimes he goes against what Republicans think about crime, like when he let some drug offenders out of jail.
Trump’s order is a big deal for drug policy. It could mean more research, industry growth, and money, even if pot is still banned federally. It shows that Americans are changing how they see pot and are getting ready for debates about safety, access, and rules as things move forward.
