Cara Brown McCormick
WASHINGTON — Calling it "commonsense change" President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his administration will officially move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, a decision that marks the most significant change to U.S. drug policy since the early 1970s.
The reclassification ends a decades-long federal stance that treated cannabis as equally dangerous as heroin and LSD, despite mounting evidence of its medical benefits and widespread legalization in 24 states. The President’s move will ease barriers to research, allow medical use under federal law, and eliminate the IRS 280E tax penalty that has cost legal cannabis operators nearly $2 billion.
President Trump’s decision fulfills a campaign promise that has been years in the making and could reshape electoral politics heading into the 2026 election cycle.
As Independent Voter News reported on December 8, progressive groups like the Progressive Turnout Project have been warning that President Trump and the GOP could “steal marijuana reform right out from under us,” urging Democrats to act in Congress before Republicans claim credit for a policy long associated with liberal reform efforts.
The announcement follows months of speculation and signals from the administration. In Trump Could Reschedule Cannabis Tomorrow: Here’s What That Would Change Overnight, IVN reported that such a move would bring federal law closer to the reality of 24 state-regulated markets.
In Will Trump Reclassify Cannabis?, IVN detailed how the change could hit illicit cartels harder than any international crackdown by easing tax burdens and giving licensed U.S. companies a fairer playing field.
The president’s tone toward cannabis has softened. In Trump Shares Pro Cannabis Video From Longtime Friend, Heightening Suspense Over Cannabis Rescheduling, IVN noted that Trump called CBD a “game changer” for seniors. This message sent cannabis stocks soaring and fueled speculation of imminent reform.
While rescheduling does not fully legalize cannabis federally, it represents a major realignment of national drug policy. As How It Really Works: The Unfair Fight Between Legal Cannabis and Unregulated Gas Station Hemp explained, outdated federal definitions have allowed untested synthetic products to thrive. At the same time, legitimate operators face heavy regulation and taxation.
IVN’s ongoing coverage has also placed the announcement in historical context. In Why the War on Cannabis Refuses to Die: How Boomers and the Yippies Made Weed Political, the outlet chronicled how cannabis became a political flashpoint beginning with the Nixon era, when it was classified under Schedule I as part of a broader war on drugs.
Thursday’s action marks the federal government’s first acknowledgment that those policies are no longer defensible.