President Donald Trump's decision reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, according to multiple reports. The reclassification gives dispensaries a big tax break, eases barriers to researching cannabis, and could allow export of marijuana to other countries, major media outlets reported. President Trump signed an executive order last year directing the reclassification process, according to reports, and on Thursday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche ordered the official reclassification of products containing marijuana regulated by the FDA and state medical marijuana licenses, sources said. The move had been expected since December, when Trump first ordered the reclassification process to begin, according to reports.
The order does not legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use under federal law, according to multiple reports. The reclassification is likely to face legal challenges, major media sources said. Once the rule change is published in the Federal Register, it has 30 days until it takes effect. During that period, the rule can be legally challenged and blocked from implementation for months or years, according to reports.
All states except Idaho and Kansas have approved cannabis in some form since California first OK'd medical marijuana in 1996, according to major media reports. Two dozen states plus Washington, D.C., have authorized adult recreational use of marijuana. Forty states have medical marijuana systems, and eight others allow low-THC cannabis or CBD oil for medical use. The order noted that regulation of medical marijuana has come a long way, with comprehensive licensing policies from cultivation to sales in most states, according to reports.
A new administrative hearing at the end of June could result in broader reclassification of marijuana, granting benefits to state-licensed recreational markets, according to major media reports. Some health experts suggest that legalization in the states has led to stronger cannabis products that need research rather than less strict categorization, according to reports.