WASHINGTON, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The Trump administration is reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug, according to a U.S. Department of Justice statement released Thursday.
The statement, signed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, was "in accordance with" U.S. President Donald Trump's Dec. 18, 2025, Executive Order on Increasing Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research, which aimed to review the classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug (alongside heroin) and consider moving it toward Schedule III (alongside anabolic steroids and ketamine).
"The Justice Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) today announced the issuance of an order immediately placing both FDA-approved products containing marijuana and marijuana products regulated by a state medical marijuana license in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, as well as the initiation of an expedited administrative hearing process to consider the broader rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III," the statement said.
According to the DEA, Schedule III drugs under the U.S. Controlled Substances Act have accepted medical use and a moderate to low risk of dependence. Meanwhile, Schedule I drugs, substances or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
The DEA will hold a new administrative hearing beginning June 29 regarding the proposed rescheduling of marijuana.
"This action recognizes the longstanding regulation of medical marijuana by state governments and the need for a common-sense approach to this reality," according to the statement.
Medical marijuana is now allowed by 40 states and Washington, D.C., and many states have also legalized it for recreational use, according to recent reports by multiple U.S. media outlets. ■