Trump signs EO to reschedule marijuana as Schedule III drug, opening it up for medical uses

President Trump on Thursday signed an order directing the rescheduling of marijuana, going from a Schedule I controlled substance to a Schedule III. Trump said from the White House, "People have been begging 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," Trump added.

The executive order stated, "Chronic pain affects nearly 1 in 4 United States adults and more than 1 in 3 United States seniors, and 6 in 10 people who use medical marijuana report doing so to manage pain. Forty states plus the District of Columbia have State- or locally-sanctioned, regulated medical marijuana programs. Yet decades of Federal drug control policy have neglected marijuana’s medical uses. That oversight has limited the ability of scientists and manufacturers to complete the necessary research on safety and efficacy to inform doctors and patients."

Schedule I drugs are defined as ones with "no currently accepted medical use, a high potential for abuse, and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug under medical supervision," while Schedule III is defined as "having a potential for abuse less than the drugs or other substances in Schedules I and II, a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a potential for moderate or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence in the event of drug abuse."

The order later added, "The Federal Government’s long delay in recognizing the medical use of marijuana does not serve the Americans who report health benefits from the medical use of marijuana to ease chronic pain and other various medically recognized ailments. Americans who often seek alternative relief from chronic pain symptoms are particularly impacted."

The order directs the Attorney General to "take all necessary steps to complete the rulemaking process related to rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III of the CSA in the most expeditious manner in accordance with Federal law," and for the Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative, Political, and Public Affairs to work with Congress to "update the statutory definition of final hemp-derived cannabinoid products to allow Americans to benefit from access to appropriate full-spectrum CBD products while preserving the Congress’s intent to restrict the sale of products that pose serious health risks."