Trump's Schedule III Shuffle: A Nothing Burger With Pharma Sauce. Schedule 3, but just for state-legal medical marijuana?
Schedule I to Schedule III did not happen because Donald Trump had a change of heart about the plant. He didn't wake up one morning with a profound respect for the 50-year fight cannabis advocates have waged against the federal government. This process started in October 2022 when President Biden directed the Department of Health and Human Services and the DEA to review how marijuana is scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act. Biden's HHS recommended Schedule III. Biden's DOJ proposed the rule. That effort stalled in bureaucratic limbo before Biden left office. Trump then signed an executive order in December 2025 telling his attorney general to finish the job someone else started.
He's now standing at the podium, taking a bow for someone else's touchdown.