The Claim

Signed an executive order reclassifying marijuana to Schedule III, accelerating medical research and patient access.

The Claim, Unpacked

What is literally being asserted?

That President Trump signed an executive order that reclassified marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, and that this action is accelerating medical research and improving patient access.

What is being implied but not asserted?

The use of the past tense “reclassifying” implies that the reclassification has occurred — that marijuana is now a Schedule III substance as a direct result of Trump’s action. It also implies Trump originated this policy change and that concrete benefits are already flowing to researchers and patients.

What is conspicuously absent?

That the executive order did not reclassify marijuana. It directed the Attorney General to complete a rulemaking process that was initiated by the Biden administration in 2022. As of March 2026 — three months after the order was signed — marijuana remains a Schedule I substance. The DOJ has provided no timeline for completing the rulemaking. The Attorney General has made no public statement supporting rescheduling. And the Trump DOJ has simultaneously ramped up federal prosecutions for marijuana possession.

Evidence Assessment

Established Facts

President Trump signed Executive Order 14370, “Increasing Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research,” on December 18, 2025. The order was published in the Federal Register on December 23, 2025 (FR Doc. 2025-23846). 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.” It also directs HHS to develop research methods for hemp-derived CBD products and instructs White House staff to work with Congress on updating definitions for hemp-derived cannabinoid products. [^305-a1]

The executive order does not reclassify marijuana. Under the Controlled Substances Act, the President cannot unilaterally reschedule a drug. Rescheduling requires the DEA to complete formal notice-and-comment rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act. The Congressional Research Service confirmed this in its updated March 2026 report, stating “it remains to be seen whether DOJ will take final action to reschedule marijuana and, if so, when and how the agency will act.” [^305-a2]

The rescheduling process was initiated by the Biden administration, not Trump. In October 2022, President Biden directed HHS and the DEA to review marijuana’s scheduling. In August 2023, HHS recommended transferring marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III based on its scientific and medical evaluation. In April 2024, the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel validated HHS’s methodology. In May 2024, the Attorney General published a proposed rule (NPRM) to move marijuana to Schedule III, which received over 43,000 public comments. [^305-a3]

The rescheduling process was stalled before Trump’s executive order and remains stalled after it. In January 2025, the DEA Administrative Law Judge postponed the hearing scheduled for January 21 while an interlocutory appeal — concerning allegations of DEA bias and improper ex-parte communications — was resolved. The presiding ALJ retired in mid-2025 with no replacement. As of March 2026, the DEA states the appeal “remains pending” with “no briefing schedule set.” [^305-a4]

As of March 2026, marijuana remains a Schedule I substance under federal law. The DOJ has provided no public timeline for completing the rulemaking. More than a month after the executive order, a DOJ spokesperson told Marijuana Moment the department had “no comment or updates.” A subsequent statement to Salon offered only that “DOJ is working to identify the most expeditious means of executing the EO.” Attorney General Pam Bondi — who opposed cannabis reform as Florida’s attorney general — has made no public statement on rescheduling and did not attend Trump’s signing ceremony. [^305-a5]

Forty states plus Washington D.C. already authorize medical marijuana programs, serving over 6 million registered patients. Twenty-five states plus D.C. have legalized recreational adult-use marijuana. State-level access exists independently of federal scheduling. The primary barriers the federal classification creates are for research funding, interstate commerce, banking, and taxation. [^305-a6]

Strong Inferences

The executive order’s practical impact has been negligible as of the analysis date. No research barriers have been lowered. No tax relief under Section 280E has materialized. No banking access has improved. The SAFER Banking Act, which would protect financial institutions serving cannabis businesses, remains pending in the Senate. The Medicare CBD pilot program directed by the order is being developed by CMS for a projected April 2026 launch, but no final rule has been published. [^305-a7]

There is active political and legal opposition that could further delay or block rescheduling. Twenty-two Republican senators and twenty-six House representatives formally urged the DOJ to abandon rescheduling. Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) has retained former Attorney General Bill Barr to file suit challenging the rescheduling rule if it is ever finalized. SAM’s president called Trump’s order a “full betrayal.” Rescheduling faces potential APA challenges on both procedural and substantive grounds. [^305-a8]

The Trump DOJ’s enforcement actions contradict the rescheduling directive. Under AG Bondi, the DOJ has reversed Biden-era marijuana possession clemency policies and directed “rigorous” prosecution of marijuana offenses on federal land. DEA agents have conducted undercover operations to purchase small amounts of marijuana, leading to federal charges for simple possession. This creates a striking contradiction: the same administration that ordered expedited rescheduling is simultaneously intensifying federal prosecution of the substance it claims to be reclassifying. [^305-a9]

What the Evidence Shows

The claim states that Trump “signed an executive order reclassifying marijuana to Schedule III.” The first half is true: he signed an executive order. The second half is false: the order did not reclassify marijuana. It directed agencies to complete a rulemaking process that was initiated under President Biden in 2022 and that remains incomplete as of March 2026. Marijuana is still a Schedule I substance under federal law, exactly as it was before the order was signed.

The distinction between “reclassifying” and “directing agencies to complete a rulemaking process to reclassify” is not semantic. The Controlled Substances Act vests scheduling authority in the DEA through formal rulemaking, not in presidential executive orders. The CRS has explicitly confirmed the president cannot unilaterally reschedule a drug. The rulemaking process faces substantial obstacles: the ALJ hearing is suspended, the presiding judge retired without replacement, an interlocutory appeal remains pending with no briefing schedule, and litigation from prohibitionist groups is anticipated if a final rule is ever issued.

The claim of “accelerating medical research and patient access” is also unsupported by current evidence. As of March 2026, no research barriers have been lowered, no Section 280E tax relief has taken effect, and no banking access improvements have materialized. The 40 state-level medical marijuana programs that serve over 6 million patients continue to operate under the same federal framework they operated under before the order was signed. The executive order did not create new patient access — it acknowledged existing access that operates despite, not because of, federal policy.

Perhaps most striking is the contradictory enforcement posture. The DOJ that was directed to expeditiously reclassify marijuana has simultaneously intensified federal prosecution of marijuana possession. This disconnect — combined with AG Bondi’s silence on the topic, the DOJ’s “no comment” stance weeks after the order, and the missed deadline for research guidelines — suggests the executive order functions more as a political signal than an operational directive.

The Bottom Line

The factual core of this claim is false. Trump signed an executive order that directed agencies to complete marijuana rescheduling — a process initiated by the Biden administration — but the order itself did not reclassify anything. Three months later, marijuana remains a Schedule I substance, the DOJ has offered no timeline, the AG has made no public commitment, and the rulemaking faces the same procedural and legal obstacles it faced before the order was signed. Meanwhile, the same DOJ is actively prosecuting marijuana possession. The claim takes credit for a policy outcome that has not occurred, describes it as accomplished rather than aspirational, and omits both the Biden-era origins of the rescheduling process and the substantial obstacles to its completion.