DOJ placed cannabis products under Schedule III and launched an expedited process to reconsider the drug’s broader federal classification.
The Trump administration announced it is moving forward with the reclassification of approved marijuana, or cannabis, products as a less dangerous drug under federal law.
The shift in federal policy will place Food and Drug Administration-approved products containing marijuana and marijuana products regulated by a state medical marijuana license in the Schedule III category of the Controlled Substances Act.
Currently they are classified as a Schedule I drug, which are determined to have no federally accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
Schedule III drugs are classified as having a lower potential for abuse and are accepted for medical use and treatment.
The Controlled Substances Act, signed into law in 1970, puts all substances that are regulated under federal law into five schedules, divided by evaluation of the product’s medical use, potential for abuse, and safety liability.
The change is in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order from December 2025, calling for an increase in “Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research.”
The order cites a determination by the Department of Health and Human Services, which found that medical marijuana is currently accepted for medical use in treating 15 medical conditions, across 43 jurisdictions and 30,000 practitioners.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche commented on the change, saying that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is delivering on President Donald Trump’s “promise to improve American healthcare” with the change.
“These actions will enable more targeted, rigorous research into marijuana’s safety and efficacy, expanding patients’ access to treatments and empowering doctors to make better-informed healthcare decisions,” Blanche said in a post on X.
The DOJ and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have issued an order to expedite the administrative hearing process to consider the broader rescheduling.
Several studies have prompted concern about the use of the botanical, including a November 2025 study by the Journal of the American Medical Association, which found that the regulated drug is not effective for almost any of its prescribed uses.
The same study found that around 30 percent of those who were prescribed the drug met the criteria for a cannabis use disorder or addiction.
