Trump Administration to Downgrade Marijuana Classification; Not Legalization but Easing Research Restrictions
The Trump administration is set to downgrade marijuana from a Schedule 1 to a Schedule 3 drug. While not full legalization, it eases medical research restrictions, causing cannabis stocks to soar.
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- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 12:36
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 13:01 (25 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 13:44 (42 min after Collected)
Central News
(Central News Agency, Washington 22nd Comprehensive Foreign Report) The US news site Axios cited officials familiar with the matter saying that the Trump administration will downgrade the classification of marijuana as early as today. In the future, it will be listed alongside ketamine and steroids, helping to promote medical marijuana research. Following the news, US cannabis-related stocks surged.
Downgrading the marijuana control level will be one of the most significant changes to US federal drug policy in decades, and it will effectively reduce the obstacles faced by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in medical marijuana research. In addition, downgrading the classification does not mean marijuana is immediately legalized, nor does it affect the sentences of those imprisoned for marijuana possession.
US President Trump signed an executive order last December, instructing the Attorney General to take over the policy of loosening marijuana control regulations promoted by the outgoing Biden administration. Trump stated at the time that this change "is an action taken at the request of American patients suffering from extreme pain, incurable diseases, aggressive cancer, epilepsy, and neurological problems."
Currently, the US lists marijuana as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, in the same class as heroin and ecstasy. After being downgraded to Schedule 3 in the future, it will be listed alongside ketamine and steroids as a lower-risk drug.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration noted that drug scheduling is based on "medical use, potential for abuse, and safety or addictiveness."
According to Reuters, upon the news of the impending downgrade of marijuana's classification, the US-listed shares of cannabis manufacturer Canopy Growth soared 23%, while Tilray shares rose 15%.
Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug globally and in the US. According to a Reuters report last December, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data showed that about 1 in 5 residents use marijuana annually. (Compiled by: Zhang Mingxuan) 1150423
(Central News Agency, Washington 22nd Comprehensive Foreign Report) The US news site Axios cited officials familiar with the matter saying that the Trump administration will downgrade the classification of marijuana as early as today. In the future, it will be listed alongside ketamine and steroids, helping to promote medical marijuana research. Following the news, US cannabis-related stocks surged.
Downgrading the marijuana control level will be one of the most significant changes to US federal drug policy in decades, and it will effectively reduce the obstacles faced by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in medical marijuana research. In addition, downgrading the classification does not mean marijuana is immediately legalized, nor does it affect the sentences of those imprisoned for marijuana possession.
US President Trump signed an executive order last December, instructing the Attorney General to take over the policy of loosening marijuana control regulations promoted by the outgoing Biden administration. Trump stated at the time that this change "is an action taken at the request of American patients suffering from extreme pain, incurable diseases, aggressive cancer, epilepsy, and neurological problems."
Currently, the US lists marijuana as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, in the same class as heroin and ecstasy. After being downgraded to Schedule 3 in the future, it will be listed alongside ketamine and steroids as a lower-risk drug.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration noted that drug scheduling is based on "medical use, potential for abuse, and safety or addictiveness."
According to Reuters, upon the news of the impending downgrade of marijuana's classification, the US-listed shares of cannabis manufacturer Canopy Growth soared 23%, while Tilray shares rose 15%.
Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug globally and in the US. According to a Reuters report last December, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data showed that about 1 in 5 residents use marijuana annually. (Compiled by: Zhang Mingxuan) 1150423