Trump expected to sign executive order reclassifying marijuana, easing restrictions on the drug

A marijuana plant is seen at a medical marijuana dispensary in Egg Harbor Township, N.J., March 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Thursday that would reschedule marijuana to a lower drug classification — a move that would ease U.S. federal restrictions, though it would not mean full legalization, according to a source familiar with the planning and a senior White House official.

The order would reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug, which the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration defines as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” to a Schedule III drug, which the DEA defines as having “a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence,” sources said. That reclassification could have implications for research of marijuana or use for medical purposes.

The White House official warned that while the signing was planned for Thursday, that timing could shift. Trump himself previewed that the issue was on his radar Monday, telling reporters he was considering reclassification “very strongly.”

• READ: White House is considering reclassifying marijuana to ease restrictions on the drug

“We are considering that because a lot of people want to see it — the reclassification, because it leads to tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify. So, we are looking at that very strongly,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

A year ago, Trump had suggested his return to the White House would usher in a new era for marijuana, making it easier for adults to access safe products and giving states greater leeway to pursue legalization.

He first declared his support for changing federal marijuana policy in the 2024 U.S. presidential race amid an aggressive courtship of younger voters, saying he wanted to allow for weed companies to obtain bank accounts and for universities to research the drug.

Trump announced at the time that he intended to vote for a ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana in his home state of Florida. He then added that, as president, he would “continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug.”

Privately, the White House has spent much of 2025 researching whether and how to move ahead with rescheduling marijuana.

Trump and other officials discussed the issue at a more than two-hour meeting in the Oval Office on Dec. 9, two sources told CNN, though no final decision was made in the immediate aftermath.

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles had previously requested affected agencies to weigh in, and their responses, compiled by Trump’s Domestic Policy Council, were presented to her over the summer.

CNN’s Steve Contorno contributed to this report.