Trump says he's looking at reclassifying marijuana at federal level

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Updated Aug. 11, 2025, 6:35 p.m. ET


President Donald Trump said his administration is considering reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. "We're looking at reclassification and we'll make a determination over the next few weeks," Trump said at news conference August 11. Though 45 states have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal or recreational use, the federal government still classifies it as a Schedule I drug.

Schedule I drugs are defined as highly dangerous, addictive and without medical use. Marijuana has belonged to this class of drugs since the Controlled Substances Act was signed in 1970. If reclassified, marijuana would be treated the same as drugs like Tylenol with codeine and anabolic steroids, which can be prescribed by licensed health care providers and dispensed by licensed pharmacies.

Reclassifying marijuana would be the biggest change in marijuana policy the federal government has taken since the drug was first outlawed, but it would not make recreational usage legal under federal law.

The move began in 2022, when then-President Joe Biden asked the Department of Health and Human Services and the Drug Enforcement Administration to review how marijuana is scheduled. In 2023, Health and Human Services recommended that marijuana be moved to Schedule III. In 2024, DEA proposed a rule to transfer marijuana to Schedule III. That rule change has been on hold since March 2025.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/11/trump-considering-reclassifying-marijuana/85610334007/

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NOTE from the excerpts -

The move began in 2022, when then-President Joe Biden asked the Department of Health and Human Services and the Drug Enforcement Administration to review how marijuana is scheduled. In 2023, Health and Human Services recommended that marijuana be moved to Schedule III. In 2024, DEA proposed a rule to transfer marijuana to Schedule III. That rule change has been on hold since March 2025.

[msongs]

1. going after the druggie vote. smart move. nt

[DonCoquixote]

17. liek eveything, there is an underbelly

YOu know that Philip morros and rj reynolds have everything backed up , no ay they will let black and brown off of that [ipe;ine to prisonm

[berksdem]

45. ridiculous statement

I know a lot of very educated folks that prefer weed over alcohol.

And $10 he never does it...

[Zorro]

2. Classifying MJ as a Schedule 1 drug was Nixon's big FU to college students

I remember that time well.

[DiverDave]

15. And the Black folks.

The millions of lives that were ruined. By that fuck, nixon.
All because he hated anti-war protesters and the Black Panthers.
Such a cruel waste of people's lives.

[mwb970]

3. Nice try.

[joanbarnes]

5. So, it takes Jeffrey Epstein's 'suicide' to finally get this done?

[walkingman]

6. Trump says a lot of stuff - most is totally meaningless.

[Bengus81]

39. Still waiting on his health care plan,middle class tax cut and the tariff dividend. Any day now......

[calimary]

42. Yeah. Let's not forget that about him.

And he’s the biggest, most relentless, and most consistent liar the world has ever seen.

[BidenRocks]

7. One attaboy doesn't even come close to erasing all the

Awshits! I'll believe it when the Sharpie is dry.

The stopped clock principle.

[Marie Marie]

8. Until then, many people say that Jeffrey Epstein and his "friends" used to smoke weed when it was illegal.

Also passed around a lot of coke. We have a right to know... RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!!!! How's that for right wing "full-circling"or as Trump calls it, weaving.

[RussBLib]

9. ...and that would be the ONLY good thing he's ever done

...but I doubt that he'd do this. Would be totally out of character. And as others have said, even if he did, that would not nearly make up for all the horrid shit he's pulled.

https://russblib.blogspot.com

[ancianita]

20. Sure, he'll do a good thing if he (I mean his 'trust') gets to invest in it & gets a lifetime percentage of the profits

Behind the scenes, he'll get a cut behind the sales of distribution licenses for millions, probably.

[myohmy2]

10. even...

...a broken clock is right twice a day...

...

[mikewv]

11. LOL. He would definitely lose my MAGA brother...

My oldest brother is totally against any form of legalizing pot. He would not by happy

[cadoman]

16. it'd sure be ironic if the only good thing Krasnov ever did

Is the thing that finally cost him his relationship with the MAGAt faithful.

[Hornedfrog2000]

32. Sadly

Most younger maga, are complete drug addicts so they will eat this up. I feel it should be legal, but so do cocaine sniffing maga man children

[Prairie Gates]

12. This is mainly moving forward due to pressure from the banks

You have a multibillion dollar legal cannabis industry in the US that faces severe restrictions in moving money through banks due to the Schedule 1 designation. Everybody wants clarity on the banking side. In many states you can go into a store and buy high quality flower or edibles at 8 in the morning, but that business has trouble with the deposit and capital investment side of things.

[republianmushroom]

13. More distraction from Epstein

[EarthFirst]

14. Boris Jordan; Russian-American founder and executive chairman of Curaleaf

…has much to say about TSF and his cannabis reform aspirations on declassification and SAFER Banking Act.

His brother Nicolas; co-headed Russian investments with Deutsche Bank before moving on to Lehman investments Moscow operations; then to operations for UBS and Goldman Moscow investment operations.

The Russian banking ties run deep with Trump.

I’m willing to bet these two run deep with influencing TSF on this…

[IbogaProject]

18. Schedule III

Isn't far enough. It has nearly zero acute toxicity. The only toxic effect is a panic attack. Most of it's "dangers" are from its prohibition.

[Hornedfrog2000]

33. The only thing i have seen in the hospital

Is that there are a few people who are actually allergic to it, but then they probably shouldnt use it... They will debate you on this fact even though it makes them throw up, and nauseous.

[IbogaProject]

44. That is a type of panic attack

The "treatment" for that cannabis induced severe nausea is a hot shower. I say since it isn't treated with any annadote that points to that bad effect being phychological.

[azureblue]

19. Don has lost his mind

And he is flailing in all directions to distract from the Epstein files. It's driving him crazy..

PS The youtube vid feeds are getting full of RW / Fox propaganda, all designed to distract..

Trump is a child rapist, a human trafficker, and a money launderer. And putin has vids of his fat ass...

[JT45242]

21. Next few weeks like infrastructure and health care plans...fixing inflation etc

He lied...about everything... including timelines.

Unless his daughter has a pending federal weed charge, why would he follow thru on this.

[IronLionZion]

22. Those Epstein files must be very incriminating

Dude is doing whatever he can to distract us

[BradBo]

23. Americas so dumb that will get him more support.

[PSPS]

24. Look! New shiny keys!! FORGET THE EPSTEIN FILES!!111!!11!1!!1!!@

I've already federalized the DC police, meeting with BFF putin in alaska, fired honest people at BLS, my worm-brain guy is discontinuing vaccines, and a lot of other things. Maybe this pot thing will do it!!11! It sure seemed to work on epstein's island!! Oh, wait. I shouldn't have said that. I guess I'll send the NG into some "democrat" cities now to make more new shiny keys for the supine media.

[Cheezoholic]

25. Well now I'm 100% convinced he's not only in those files but there's some real dirt there lol FF!!!! n/t

[marble falls]

26. this is the first step of putting pot production and sales into the hands of Big Pharma.

[Hornedfrog2000]

27. Trump says when he used to smoke weed

With his bestie jeffrey epstein, and maxwell he would get horny for kids, because hes a pedophile

[marble falls]

37. Link?

[C Moon]

28. Let me guess: he's investing in edibles. Or someone he's close to is.

[OverBurn]

29. It should be legal everywhere. I wish Biden had done it.

Biden/Harris should have ran on doing this, maybe it would have got more people out to vote.

[BumRushDaShow]

30. He DID start it and followed the Rules process

that was PUT ON HOLD BY 45 and Harris DID run on this as policy.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143233494
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143241475
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143299484
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143315425
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143322396

[kkmarie]

31. Reefer Madness

Out of all the off the wall batshit crazy fascist things he's doing, he throws this out there. As stated in other posts this has to be some type of Krasnov grift. Krasnov wants a piece of the action.

And the magas are going to hate this. The ones who are overlooking his pedophilia and still supporting him, he will lose because of this.

https://www.fool.com/research/marijuana-tax-revenue-by-state/

[Bengus81]

41. The Kansas Legislature run by nothing but republicans votes down medical MJ yearly

You know...the old "gateway drug" excuse and then no doubt run off to a three martini lunch.

[Old Crank]

34. I was just thinking about this issue.

I was expecting it to die in the bowels of this administration.
He must be desperate and wants credit for something else started before his term.

[NowsTheTime]

35. playing games

throwing bones.....forgets about it in a little bit

[Javaman]

36. he isn't going to do it.

just another thing he's dangling in the face of the mouth breathing morons.

many a red state would through a shit fit over this, but if have noticed, none of them have said a thing.

because it's all bullshit.

[augyboston]

38. Once again Donnie Rotten leads from behind.

It is long past time that the "evil weed" be legalized nationally.

Just being able to pay for my bi-monthly supply with a debit or credit card would be much more convenient than dealing with cash.

[Bengus81]

40. Funny...from a guy who claims he's never had a drink or taken drugs.

More Epstein diversion shit,different day.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

43. Should take about 2 weeks!

[thebigidea]

46. Bullshit. He won't do anything, just like he didn't do anything last time

Despite all the liars on reddit claiming he was better for marijuana than Biden. The GOP never has been, just a handful of purple state outliers who are outvoted. The GOP on average is bad for marijuana and will continue being bad.

[Mysterian]

47. Why didn't Biden get this done?

Jesus fucking christ.

[BumRushDaShow]

48. See this post

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=3511399

and particularly this - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143241475

There is a "Rules process" including posting the changes on the Federal Register for comments. The final Rule was put on HOLD by 45.

As they say - "elections have consequences".

[Mysterian]

49. I know all about the rules process

It's no fucking excuse.