The Department of Justice is easing federal restrictions on medical marijuana products licensed by states like Oklahoma, reclassifying them as less dangerous substances in another big step toward reorienting federal policy around a drug that has been strictly controlled at the federal level for decades.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order April 23 that moves medical marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration or with a state license from Schedule I, the highest level of regulation, to the less strict Schedule III.
“This 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,” Blanche said in a statement.
The move comes months after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Oklahoma should reverse course on allowing medical use of marijuana during his final State of the State speech.
“We can’t put a Band-Aid on a broken bone,” Stitt said on Feb. 2. “Knowing what we know, it’s time to let Oklahomans bring safety and sanity back to their neighborhoods. Send the marijuana issue back to a vote of the people, and let’s shut it down.”
The Department of Justice also is expediting the hearing process to more broadly reclassify marijuana under federal law, following through on President Donald Trump’s Dec. 18 executive action aimed at finalizing a reclassification push begun under President Joe Biden. The Drug Enforcement Administration will hold an administrative hearing on the issue June 29.
Schedule 1 drugs are considered the most dangerous, with the DEA describing them as substances with no “medical use and a high potential for abuse.” They include heroin, LSD and ecstasy. The DEA considers Schedule III drugs as having “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”
Marijuana isn’t legal at the federal level under Schedule I, but the change makes it easier for the industry to operate and for research to be conducted.
Marijuana is legal for medical or recreational use in 45 states and 64% of Americans supported legalization in a Gallup survey from last year, up from 36% two decades ago. Support for legalization has dipped recently among Republicans, though, Gallup found.
The DEA classifies drugs based on their medical usefulness and their potential for abuse or dependency. The categories are:
Medical marijuana is legal in Oklahoma for residents who have a medical marijuana patient license.
Medical marijuana can only be purchased from a dispensary. To buy from a dispensary, you’ll need one of five licenses:
Still no.
Oklahoma voters rejected a recreational marijuana plan in 2023. State Question 820 would have legalized recreational marijuana in the state. The passage would’ve allowed dispensaries in Oklahoma to sell cannabis and cannabis products to anyone age 21 and older.
Trump has taken an aggressive approach to drug enforcement during his second term, most notably with military strikes against alleged drug vessels off the coast of Venezuela. His stance on marijuana has been less restrictive, though. During the 2024 campaign, Trump supported a ballot measure, which ultimately failed, that would have legalized the drug in the state of Florida.
Biden ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to review marijuana’s classification in 2022, and the next year HHS called for listing marijuana as Schedule III. The Biden administration in 2024 proposed a rule to reschedule marijuana, but it was put on hold.
Trump also recently signed an executive aimed at speeding access to medical treatments that use psychedelic drugs.
Contributing: Dale Denwalt, Bart Jansen, C. A. Bridges