FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 18, 2025

Contact: Violet Cavendish
[email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump issued an Executive Order that will move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Following this news, Adam J. Smith, Executive Director of the Marijuana Policy Project, the nation’s leading cannabis policy reform organization, released the following statement:

"While MPP welcomes the President’s proposal to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, neither the plant itself nor its naturally occurring component cannabinoids belong on the schedule at all.

"We hope this move to Schedule III truly does open up medical research, that it inspires states to guarantee access to safe, regulated cannabinoids for patients who desperately need them, and that the regulated industry might finally be treated more fairly under the federal tax code. But a move to Schedule III does nothing to end hundreds of thousands of possession arrests each year, nor does it do anything to fix the untenable, ongoing disconnect between federal prohibition and the regulated state markets under which more than half of American adults live.

"We are pleased that the President is taking this important step, but it is only a step. It is long past time to deschedule cannabis entirely and end nearly a century of failed prohibition.”

Background: In 2022, the Biden administration advised the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Attorney General's office to conduct a scientific review of cannabis’ schedule under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). In August 2023, the HHS and FDA recommended that cannabis be reclassified to Schedule III. The agencies’ scientific review found that cannabis has currently accepted medical use and a lower potential for abuse than Schedule I and II drugs. The Department of Justice proposed rescheduling in 2024 and opened a public comment period shortly after. At the end of 2024, the DEA appointed Judge John Mulrooney to oversee the rescheduling hearing and named 25 witnesses to participate in the proceeding. Questions arose regarding whether the DEA should be included in the hearing as the proponent, given its apparent bias against rescheduling, as evidenced by its collaboration with individuals who opposed rescheduling to enable them to be witnesses. Judge Mulrooney cancelled (stayed) the hearings until the challenge was settled or resolved. 

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Founded in 1995, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is the nation’s leading cannabis policy reform organization. MPP has played a central role in passing dozens of cannabis policy reforms in states across the country, including 14 successful cannabis legalization campaigns, and also works to advance federal reforms.

Visit www.mpp.org for more information.