More than a decade after Arizonans voted to legalize medical marijuana, the Trump administration is loosening federal rules around it.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in late 2025 to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug. This historic shift from the federal government moves marijuana from the same framework as heroin and LSD to the ranks of drugs like Tylenol with codeine and other commonly prescribed drugs.
This move wouldn’t federally legalize medical marijuana, but it would benefit cutting-edge marijuana research and other major parts of the industry, including tax breaks for dispensaries.
While the final moves of rescheduling are still to come by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Arizona Republicans are going in the opposite direction of the Trump administration by trying to put stricter rules around marijuana for the state.
This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, host Stephanie Murray is joined by Ray Stern, who covers the Arizona Legislature for The Republic and has reported on cannabis in the state for years.
With Stephanie, he talks about why Trump is making marijuana moves in the second year of his second term and why some Arizona politicians at the same time are making attempts to crack down on the drug.
The best way to listen is to subscribe to The Gaggle in your favorite podcast app, but you can also stream the full episode below.
Note: The Gaggle is intended to be heard. But we also offer an AI transcript of the episode. There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio.
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Reach producer Amanda Luberto at amanda.luberto@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X @amandaluberto.