President Donald Trump was expected to sign an executive order earlier this week to reclassify marijuana, and on Thursday, he did, signing an executive order that could reclassify the drug as less dangerous.
The move would not make marijuana legal nationwide for recreational use, the Associated Press reports, but would move the drug from a Schedule I (like heroin and LSD), to a Schedule III substance (alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids).Â
This opens new avenues for medical research and is a huge shift in federal drug policy. While some states have legalized marijuana, federal drug policy has remained quite strict.Â
A loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill has allowed states like Wisconsin and Minnesota to produce a burgeoning hemp-derived product market. However, that came under threat when a bill to reopen the federal government during its longest ever shutdown contained language to stop such operations.Â
This means states are still in charge of whether or not to legalize these products. There is less than a year to navigate the legality of the hemp industry. Legality via the loophole will close in November 2026 for hemp-derived THC products.
