Trump administration officially reclassifies some marijuana products as less dangerous drugs
The Trump administration said the move, which does not legalize medical or recreational marijuana under federal law, is just the start of a process to reclassify the drug more broadly.
By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron
An RFP at Private Organic Therapy (POT), a nonprofit medical marijuana cooperative dispensary, displays different types of marijuana available to patients October 19, 2009 in Los Angeles.
David McNew/Getty Images
Join our community of science lovers!
On Thursday, the Trump administration officially reclassified state-certified doctor marijuana products under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The move removes these products from the Schedule I category, which includes what the government considers high-risk and dangerous drugs such as heroin, LSD and ecstasy, to the lower-risk Schedule III category. The change applies to state-regulated medical marijuana and does not legalize medical or recreational cannabis products at the federal level.
The move could also make cannabis a lot easier for researchers to study. According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, under the CSA, the Schedule I classification includes drugs “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” For researchers studying marijuana, listing the drug in Schedule I addition of sometimes insurmountable obstacles to their jobs, such as additional paperwork and costly security procedures. Schedule III, meanwhile, applies to drugs, such as ketamine and anabolic steroids, that the government considers to have “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence” – meaning they carry a long haul. reduce barriers to study.
“The Ministry of Justice respects the president’s commitments [Donald] “Trump’s promise to expand Americans’ access to medical treatment options,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. statement. “This reprogramming action enables research into the safety and effectiveness of this substance, providing patients with better care and doctors with more reliable information.”
On supporting science journalism
If you enjoy this article, please consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribe. By purchasing a subscription, you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
In the same statement, the administration said the decision is just the beginning of an “expedited administrative hearing process” to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III generally – marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I drug for more than 55 years. It follows a Executive decree of December 2025 by President Trump that aimed to increase research into medical marijuana.
“Under the leadership of President Trump and Acting Attorney General Blanche, the DEA is moving quickly through the administrative hearing process, bringing consistency and oversight to an area that has lacked both,” DEA Administrator Terry Cole said in the same statement. “Our law enforcement men and women remain committed to fighting drug cartels, the fentanyl epidemic and protecting American lives.”
The effort to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III represents “a pretty significant change” at the federal level, says Staci Gruber, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “First and foremost, it recognizes that cannabis has accepted medical use. That’s a big change.”
“The perception and stigma associated with the Schedule I classification of cannabis is a different story at this point,” says Gruber.
Editor’s Note (04/23/26): This is a breaking news story and may be updated.
It’s time to defend science
If you enjoyed this article, I would like to ask for your support. Scientific American has been defending science and industry for 180 years, and we are currently experiencing perhaps the most critical moment in these two centuries of history.
I was a Scientific American subscriber since the age of 12, and it helped shape the way I see the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of respect for our vast and magnificent universe. I hope this is the case for you too.
If you subscribe to Scientific Americanyou help ensure our coverage centers on meaningful research and discoveries; that we have the resources to account for decisions that threaten laboratories across the United States; and that we support budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In exchange, you receive essential information, captivating podcastsbrilliant infographics, newsletters not to be missedunmissable videos, stimulating gamesand the best writings and reports from the scientific world. You can even give someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you will support us in this mission.