President Donald Trump is weighing whether to reclassify marijuana to a less restrictive federal schedule, according to multiple accounts from donors, industry figures, and administration officials. At a recent Bedminster dinner, Trump told a small group, “We need to look at that,” in reference to loosening federal restrictions, two attendees said.
He previously signaled support for moving marijuana off Schedule I and giving states more leeway. But seven months into his second term, the absence of action has become a notable gap.
Inside the White House, political advisers have urged movement, arguing it could help with the midterms, while policy aides caution that moral, legal, and law-enforcement risks could outweigh any gains. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the administration is evaluating “all policy and legal requirements and implications,” adding, “The only interest guiding the president’s policy decision is what is in the best interest of the American people.”
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Pressure from industry and donors is intensifying. Scotts Miracle-Gro CEO James Hagedorn said Trump has privately committed “multiple times” since taking office to reschedule cannabis. Hagedorn’s company has a large hydroponics unit and gave $500,000 to a Trump-aligned super PAC last year. He told Fox Business that DEA Administrator Terrance Cole’s omission of rescheduling from his top objectives is unsurprising for a “career law enforcement guy,” adding that a call from the president is what’s needed to fulfill “a promise he made during the campaign, and promises made are promises kept.”
Similarly, at a $1-million-a-plate event at Trump’s New Jersey club, attendees included Trulieve Cannabis CEO Kim Rivers, who urged reclassification and expanded medical research. Reporting indicates cannabis companies have committed millions to Trump-aligned political groups amid the stalled federal process.
Schedule III
In a Truth Social post last September, he backed Florida’s recreational measure and said that as president he would “continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug.” He also wrote, “I believe it is time to end needless arrests and incarcerations of adults for small amounts of marijuana for personal use.” Yet he has voiced past concerns too, saying in 2018 that in Colorado “they have more accidents” and that marijuana “does cause an IQ problem.”
In 2022, former President Joe Biden ordered the DOJ and HHS to review marijuana’s classification. HHS later recommended Schedule III, and the DOJ initiated rulemaking in 2024. A hearing scheduled for the day after Trump took office was canceled and has not been rescheduled.
The White House says it is still contending with that inherited process, and one official suggested executive action is unlikely until it plays out. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has gathered agency input into a report now on her desk, according to people familiar.
Moving marijuana to Schedule III would ease research barriers, make it significantly easier to transact, and improve industry profitability—most critically by allowing normal federal tax deductions. But headwinds abound: a House appropriations rider seeks to block the DOJ from rescheduling, and two GOP senators have proposed keeping punitive internal revenue codes in force for cannabis businesses even if the drug is downgraded.
Law-enforcement considerations are a live fault line. One internal question is whether rescheduling would weaken probable-cause standards tied to the smell of marijuana—an issue that intersects with Trump’s tough-on-crime posture. That debate, more than the political upside, may determine timing.
Nearly 60% of Americans support legal recreational use, while only 11% say marijuana should be illegal for any purpose, per a 2024 Pew survey. Forty states allow medical marijuana, while 24 and Washington, D.C., have legalized adult use.
Information for this story was found via CNN, Fox, Marijuana Moment, and the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
