President Donald Trump has ignited a national debate by announcing that his administration is actively weighing whether to reclassify marijuana under federal law—a move that would mark the most significant shift in U.S. cannabis policy in over half a century. This potential change, which could come within weeks, has set off a flurry of speculation and discussion among politicians, industry leaders, activists, and everyday Americans from Florida to Oklahoma and beyond.
Currently, marijuana sits in the strictest category of controlled substances: Schedule I, alongside heroin and LSD. This classification means the federal government considers it to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. But Trump’s administration is considering moving marijuana to Schedule III—a tier that includes drugs like ketamine, anabolic steroids, and Tylenol with codeine, all of which are recognized as having medical uses and are subject to lighter federal regulation. As Trump put it during an August 11 news conference, “We’re looking at reclassification and we’ll make a determination over the next few weeks.”
The push for this change didn’t start with Trump. According to CBS12, the Biden administration initiated the review after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended reclassification in 2024. The Justice Department even proposed the shift, but the process was left unfinished when Biden exited office in December 2024. Trump now says a final decision could be announced “within weeks.”
But what would reclassification actually mean for Americans? For starters, it would not legalize marijuana for recreational use at the federal level, nor would it override state laws like those in Florida or Oklahoma. In fact, Florida voters recently rejected a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational cannabis, and Oklahoma’s fate will be decided by the ballot in 2026, as reported by The Oklahoman. However, the change could dramatically impact the medical marijuana industry, which in Florida alone boasts more than 920,000 registered patients.
Industry experts and advocates say reclassification could lift onerous IRS tax restrictions that currently prevent dispensaries from deducting most business expenses. That’s a big deal for cannabis companies, which often operate on razor-thin margins. As Axios noted, “designating pot to have medical value and less dangerous than its Schedule I designation would be a major jolt to cannabis companies.” It could also open the door to more traditional banking and credit card services, something the industry has long struggled to access due to federal banking laws.
Medical research could also get a major boost. Right now, researchers face significant barriers to studying marijuana, but a Schedule III classification would ease those restrictions. Florida’s universities and medical institutions, for example, could expand research into marijuana’s potential benefits and risks for conditions like PTSD, chronic pain, and cancer. In Oklahoma, where more than 2,000 dispensaries operate, the change could further legitimize the industry and reduce compliance headaches. As The Oklahoman reported, “reclassification could improve banking access, reduce compliance risks, and expand medical research opportunities for Oklahoma’s cannabis industry.”
However, not everyone is on board. The issue has exposed rifts not only between political parties but within them. While the move would align the Trump administration with a policy long sought by congressional Democrats and promoted by the Biden administration, it’s also stirring up opposition among some of Trump’s own supporters. Conservative voices, such as Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, have voiced concerns. “I hope this doesn’t happen,” Kirk posted on X. “Everything already smells like weed, which is ridiculous. Let’s make it harder to ruin public spaces, not easier.” State GOP lawmakers in Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania have also expressed apprehension, and even some administration officials, like FDA commissioner Marty Makary, have warned about health risks from cannabis use.
The split is also apparent within the broader conservative movement. Kevin Sabet, founder of Smart Approaches to Marijuana and a veteran of three White House drug policy teams, told Axios, “They [the cannabis industry] have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in total to influence the president from Florida onward, whether it’s inauguration, whether it’s million-dollar-plate fundraisers in New Jersey. They are going all out because they want this tax break.” For some in the MAGA wing, the issue is about business and economic opportunity, while for others, it’s a cultural flashpoint.
Polling suggests the political winds are shifting. The Pew Research Center found that 88% of Americans now support medical or recreational marijuana use, cutting across party lines. “Cannabis has become a less partisan [issue] over time, and this has been accelerated by the proliferation of intoxicating hemp products,” said Beau Kilmer, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center, to Axios. That said, the difference between rescheduling and full legalization remains stark. Trump, like Biden, is a teetotaler and has never shown great enthusiasm for outright legalization. As Jonathan Caulkins of Carnegie Mellon University put it, “The way to think about it is some people wanted Biden to legalize. Biden didn’t want to do that, so he said, ‘Well, I’ll suggest rescheduling, which will make some people think that we’ve made a big change, but it isn’t really.’”
There are also regulatory hurdles ahead. If marijuana is reclassified, oversight would shift to the Food and Drug Administration. This could create a dilemma for the agency: either relax its usual standards for medicine or attempt to crack down on an industry that’s already deeply entrenched. “The FDA would be between a rock and a hard place,” Caulkins told Axios. “They either have to ignore their own rules and regulations and say, we’re just going to let the cannabis happen without the usual standards for medicine, or we’re going to bite the bullet and crack down on a multibillion-dollar industry that’s been operating for years now.”
Meanwhile, states are charting their own courses. Oklahoma’s medical marijuana market is one of the largest per capita in the nation, and advocates are pushing State Question 837 to legalize recreational sales for adults 21 and older. Organizers must gather nearly 173,000 signatures by November 4, 2025, to get the measure on the 2026 ballot. The campaign faces new hurdles, including a state law limiting how many signatures can come from a single county, forcing organizers to reach into rural areas. “Maybe we’ll go and hang out at the co-op for a day or go to the county courthouse,” ORCA Director Jed Green said. “Voters of Harmon County — get ready, we’ll come out and visit.”
Trump’s newly confirmed DEA administrator, Terrance Cole, has indicated that reviewing marijuana’s classification is a top priority, though he hasn’t tipped his hand on the outcome. The president himself has acknowledged the complexity of the issue. “Some people like it, some people hate it. Some people hate the whole concept of marijuana,” Trump said. “Very complicated subject is the subject of marijuana. I’ve heard great things having to do with medical, and I’ve had bad things having to do with just about everything else.”
As the nation waits for Trump’s decision, one thing is clear: whatever the outcome, the debate over marijuana’s place in American society—and its legal status—will remain at the forefront of the national conversation for some time to come.
