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.
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.
Representatives for the White House, DOJ, and DEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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.”
It also remains to be seen how full rescheduling will differ from the immediate reclassification of state-legal medical marijuana—or what comes next for regulated cannabis companies.
*The Associated Press contributed to this report.
