President Donald Trump has ordered marijuana to be federally reclassified as a less dangerous substance.
“We have people begging for me to do this, people that are in great pain,” Trump said at a signing event in the Oval Office. “For decades this action has been requested by American patients suffering from extreme pain, incurable diseases, aggressive cancers, seizure disorders, neurological problems and more.”
What does that mean, exactly? Is weed legal now?
Don’t fire up anything just yet.
Since 1970, marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I drug, which are completely prohibited. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) describes Schedule I drugs as having no “medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Other drugs in that classification include heroin and LSD.
On Thursday, Dec. 18 Trump issued an executive order for the Department of Justice to begin the procedure to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug, which the DEA describes as having “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” Schedule III drugs include ketamine, testosterone, some anabolic steroids or Tylenol with codeine and are potentially eligible for prescription.
The reclassification relaxes restrictions on scientific testing and could save marijuana companies a lot of money in taxes in states where it’s legal. Cannabis businesses currently fall under Section 280E of the IRS tax code, which forbids businesses involved in the “trafficking” of Schedule I and Schedule II substances from deducting “ordinary and necessary” business expenses from their taxes. If weed becomes a Schedule III drug, that prohibition goes away.
“Rescheduling cannabis isn’t the finish line — it’s the launchpad for research breakthroughs, safer financial systems, and a stronger, more equitable economy,” said Bob Groesbeck, Co-CEO of national cannabis company Planet 13 in a statement. “This moment marks a turning point: the federal government is opening the door to science, safety, and progress for millions of Americans.”
The reduced classification also could potentially have a bearing on future legalization efforts by shifting public perception toward cannabis.
“It is the policy of my Administration to increase medical marijuana and CBD research to better inform patients and doctors,” Trump said in the EO.
No. If the reclassification happens it would be the biggest change in federal marijuana policy in over 50 years, but the change still wouldn’t make weed legal.
First of all, it hasn’t happened yet. The EO simply directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to “take all necessary steps to complete the rulemaking process” to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug. No deadlines were mentioned.
Secondly, reclassification still doesn’t make it legal as far as the federal government is concerned. The president stressed that the order “does not legalize marijuana in any way, shape or form, and no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug.”
The EO mentions the unregulated nature of CBD products, which are currently legal through a legal loophole, and calls for Congress to update the definitions of “final hemp-derived cannabinoid products” to allow the sale of “appropriate full-spectrum CBD products” while restricting those that present health risks.
Trump also is considering a Medicare pilot program that would provide some seniors access to CBD, according to reports.
The DEA classifies drugs based on their medical usefulness and their potential for abuse or dependency. The categories are:
In the EO, Trump says that a review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found “scientific support for its use to treat anorexia related to a medical condition, nausea and vomiting, and pain.”
That review came after former President Joe Biden called for it in his 2024 State of The Union address with an eye toward reclassification. The Department of Health and Human Services recommended that year that marijuana be reclassified based on widespread use of medical marijuana across 43 U.S. jurisdictions for more than 6 million registered patients to treat at least 15 medical conditions, the EO said.
In 2024, the DEA proposed a rule to reclassify the drug, but that rule change has been on hold since March 2025.
“The Federal Government’s long delay in recognizing the medical use of marijuana does not serve the Americans who report health benefits from the medical use of marijuana to ease chronic pain and other various medically recognized ailments,” the EO said.
Over several years the Biden administration worked to, if not legalize marijuana, send clear signals that the previous approach to marijuana use was wrong by first pardoning people with federal convictions for simple possession of marijuana in 2022 and then issuing in December 2023 a “full, complete, and unconditional pardon” to every American who uses marijuana or has in the past.
Still no.
During the 2024 General Election, an amendment that called for legalizing recreational marijuana in Florida fell just shy of the 60% of votes needed to pass. The Miami Herald reported earlier this month that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration diverted more than $35 million to defeat this amendment and another that would have changed Florida’s six-week abortion ban back to what it was previously, with much of the money taken from programs to help Floridians.
Supporters have vowed to bring the amendment back for the 2026 election but recent changes in Florida law make citizen-led amendments much harder to accomplish. The state is currently challenging hundreds of thousands of petitions gathered for the ballot drive.
Medical marijuana is legal in Florida for residents diagnosed with a specific set of conditions who have applied for and received a Medical Marijuana ID Card or caregivers who have received a Medical Marijuana Caregiver Card.
The conditions are:
(This story was updated with new information.)