President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to clear the way for making marijuana a Schedule III drug, which brings along reforms in how the federal government regulates the substance.
The order means the drug will no longer be classified under Schedule I, which is at the same level as heroin, according to CNBC. This does not make it legal nationwide, but it allows for more research and enables marijuana sellers in states where it’s legal to take advantage of tax write-offs at the federal level, Marijuana Moment reported.
“Today I’m pleased to announce that I will be signing an executive order to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance with legitimate medical uses,” the president said at an event in the Oval Office on Thursday.
“We have people begging for me to do this. People that are in great pain. For decades, this action has been requested by American patients suffering from extreme pain, incurable diseases, aggressive cancers, seizure disorders, neurological problems, and more, including numerous veterans with service-related injuries and older Americans who live with chronic medical problems that severely degrade their quality of life,” he continued.
The president stressed that the order does not mean that recreational marijuana is legal nationwide.
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“I want to emphasize that the order I am about to sign is not the legalization; it doesn’t legalize marijuana in any way, shape, or form and in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug,” he said. Twenty-four states have made recreational marijuana legal, with many more having laws regarding its medical use.
However, the reclassification got some conservative pushback before it was formally announced in recent days.
Over two dozen Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the president earlier on Thursday opposing the reclassification.
“Reclassifying marijuana would send the wrong message to our children, worsen addiction, undermine public safety, and hand billions in tax relief to the marijuana industry and foreign criminal cartels. Marijuana has no proven medical value, increases roadway danger, and fuels addiction,” Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) posted to X.
“We must keep it classified as a Schedule I substance under DEA regulations and put families, public safety, and America’s future FIRST!” he added.
The Daily Wire reported in August that roughly 50 groups also sent a letter opposing the move, writing that the president has “an opportunity to make a stand for the safety of children across America by opposing the flawed proposal to reschedule marijuana.”
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