The Trump administration has reportedly reclassified certain types of cannabis at the federal level. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on social media that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is “rescheduling FDA-approved marijuana and state-licensed marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III.”
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Blanche said the Department of Justice was “delivering on President Trump’s promise” to expand Americans’ access to medical treatment options.
Under the decisive leadership of @POTUS, this Department of Justice is delivering on his promise to improve American healthcare. This includes:
• Immediately rescheduling FDA-approved marijuana and state-licensed marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule IIl
• Ordering a new,… pic.twitter.com/DUtqKQgavl
— Acting AG Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) April 23, 2026
“This rescheduling action allows for research on the safety and efficacy of this substance, ultimately providing patients with better care and doctors with more reliable information,” he said in a statement.
Blanche’s order reportedly sets up an expedited system for state-licensed medical marijuana producers and distributors to register with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“Today the vast majority of States maintain comprehensive licensing frameworks governing cultivation, processing, distribution, and dispensing of marijuana for medical purposes,” Blanche wrote.
The action does not legalize cannabis nationwide.
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The order notes that cannabis researchers won’t be penalized for obtaining state-licensed marijuana or marijuana-derived products for use in their work. It should also remove tax burdens due to IRS Code 280E. This means, for the first time, compliant cannabis companies could deduct business expenses on their federal taxes.
“The Justice Department’s reclassification of cannabis in accordance with President Trump’s executive order is a welcome step to increase critical research into possible medical applications of cannabis,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai, in a statement sent to GreenState. “The Trump administration continues to implement a Gold Standard Science-based approach to shape health policymaking and deliver for American veterans and patients.”
Representatives for the DEA referred GreenState to the DOJ press release linked above, while DOJ representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Blanche’s order sidesteps the review process by relying on a provision of federal law that allows the attorney general to determine the appropriate classification for drugs that the U.S. must regulate pursuant to an international treaty.
Blanche is “ordering a new, expedited hearing with set deadlines, to fully reschedule marijuana.” The hearings are set to commence on June 29 of this year.
The proceedings are essentially a do-over of previous hearings on the matter from 2024. The new hearings will help the government “move efficiently toward the completion of marijuana’s complete redesignation.”
“Under the direction of President Trump and Acting Attorney General Blanche, DEA is expeditiously moving forward with the administrative hearing process—bringing consistency and oversight to an area that has lacked both,” said DEA Administrator Terry Cole in a press release.
The order signed by Blanche locks in the administration’s position on cannabis, but a final rule must still be issued by the DEA for rescheduling to be final. With hearings set to begin this summer, it could still be months or years before the move is official.
*The Associated Press contributed to this report.
