WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that could reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug and open new avenues for medical research, a major change in federal drug policy that comes closer to what many states have done.

The change would remove marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, along with heroin and LSD. Instead, cannabis would be a Schedule III substance, like ketamine and some anabolic steroids.

The reclassification by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) does not decriminalize marijuana for recreational use nationwide, but it could change how it is regulated and reduce a heavy tax burden on the sector.

The president said he had received a flood of phone calls supporting the measure and its potential to help patients. "We have people begging me to do this. People who are in enormous pain," he said.

Similarly, during the administration of then-President Joe Biden, the Department of Justice proposed reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III substance. Unlike Biden, Trump did not have the support of his entire party to make the change. Some Republicans have come out against any changes and have urged Trump to maintain current standards.

These types of changes often require an arduous process, which includes a public comment period that has attracted tens of thousands of reactions from across the United States. The DEA was still in the review process when Trump took office in January. Trump's order is expected to speed up the process, although it is currently unknown how long it could take.

Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel.

Follow on

Many states have legalized recreational use of marijuana for adults or allow it for medical purposes. But federal laws have remained strict, potentially leaving people subject to federal prosecution.

A Gallup poll finds that more Americans favor a less restrictive approach: Support for marijuana legalization has grown significantly, from 36% in 2005 to 68% last year.

Trump's order also calls for broader research and access to CBD, a legal hemp-derived product that is growing in popularity even as experts debate its benefits.

A new Medicare program would allow older adults to access legal CBD at no cost, as long as it is recommended by a doctor, said Dr. Mehmet Oz, director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

More than 20 Republican senators, several of them strong Trump allies, signed an order. letter this year urging the president to keep marijuana a Schedule I drug. Led by Ted Budd, the group argued that marijuana remains dangerous and that a change would “undermine their efforts to Make America Great Again.” They also argued that marijuana negatively affects the physical and mental health of users, as well as road and work safety.

“The only winners from reclassification will be bad actors like communist China, while Americans will foot the bill,” the letter said, referring to China's place in the cannabis market.

On the decriminalization of marijuana, Trump has not previously committed to such a measure, although he had considered reclassification for much of his second term. During his campaign he had said it should remain a state-by-state issue.

As president, he has made his crackdown on drugs, especially fentanyl, a central part of his second term, ordering military strikes against Venezuelan ships and ships from other countries that the government says are trafficking drugs.

Trump signed another executive order declaring fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.

___

This story was translated of English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.