Trump signs order to reclassify marijuana as less dangerous drug amid GOP backlash
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug — a move expected to ease restrictions so it's easier to purchase and sell, and pave the way for more research on marijuana’s medical purposes in a win for the cannabis industry.
Marijuana previously was labeled a Schedule 1 drug under the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulations — the same category the agency uses for drugs including heroin, ecstasy and LSD. The agency claims on its website that these drugs are considered to have "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse" with no accepted medical use.
However, under the new Schedule III classification, marijuana is now in a category alongside drugs like Tylenol and anabolic steroids that the agency claims are ones with a "moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence."
"This reclassification order will make it far easier to conduct marijuana-related medical research, allowing us to study benefits, potential dangers, and future treatments," Trump said in the Oval Office on Thursday. "It's going to have a tremendously positive impact."
Trump signaled he would sign the executive order Monday, when he told reporters that he was eyeing a reclassification of the drug.
"We are considering that. A lot of people want to see it, the reclassification, because it leads to tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify," Trump said in the Oval Office, "So we are looking at that very strongly."
Meanwhile, not everyone is on board with the change, and the move has received backlash from members of Trump’s own party. For example, a group of lawmakers, spearheaded by Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., sent a letter to Trump on Thursday urging him to not alter marijuana’s Schedule I designation.
Specifically, the lawmakers claimed that reclassifying marijuana would send the wrong message to America’s youth, and cautioned it would jeopardize road safety.
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"We write to urge you to oppose rescheduling marijuana, a harmful drug that is worsening our nation’s addiction crisis," the lawmakers wrote in the letter. "Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug will send the wrong message to America’s children, enable drug cartels, and make our roads more dangerous."
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has taken a hardline approach to illegal drugs entering the U.S., and has designated cartel groups like Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa and others as foreign terrorist organizations.
The Trump administration also has controversially conducted more than 20 strikes in Latin American waters targeting alleged drug boats since September as part of his effort to curb the influx of drugs into the U.S.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.