Marijuana Moment: Trump Can Outdo Democrats By Rescheduling Marijuana When They Failed To Do So, Roger Stone Says

[Tokeativity]

One of President Donald Trump’s longtime advisors, Roger Stone, says his administration has an opportunity to move forward with marijuana rescheduling—or, even broader legalization—in a way that Democrats who regularly tout the reform failed to achieve when they controlled the White House and Congress.

During a segment of “The Stone Zone” on 77WABC Radio that aired on Monday, Stone responded to Trump’s social media post over the weekend where he shared a video that touted the health benefits of hemp-derived CBD, particular for seniors.

“The video posted by President Trump talked about the use of CBD oil to alleviate pain, lower stress and result in better sleep. CBD is the non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis,” Stone said. “It does not get you high, and it is a source of most of the medicinal benefits from the cannabis plant.”

He added that it’s well-understood that the president has been a “supporter of states’ rights on the question of the legalization of cannabis for medicinal purposes.”

“That has always been his position. Go all the way back to the 2016 campaign,” he said. “I myself have been a major advocate for President Trump reclassifying or declassifying cannabis. Right now, cannabis is considered a Schedule I drug, along with heroin, MDMA and LSD.”

While Trump didn’t directly comment on the content of the video he shared over the weekend, he has previously endorsed moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). And he said last month that a decision on that reform would be made within weeks.

Stone somewhat misstated the impact of that potential policy change, saying it would “make it allowable for medicinal use” and “also solve a number of the banking issues” for state-licensed cannabis businesses.

Will President Trump Reclassify or Declassify Marijuana to Expand Its Legal Medicinal Use?

The StoneZONE — Tonight, only on 77WABC Radio!

Listen LIVE at 8 PM ET: https://t.co/53a3PGhes4 pic.twitter.com/azS86U7Lje

— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) September 29, 2025

Moving marijuana to Schedule III would remove certain research barriers, but it would need to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be accessible as a prescribed medicine, which is unlikely in botanical form. And it would let cannabis businesses take federal tax deductions they’ve been barred from under an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E, but since marijuana wouldn’t be federally legalized, banking issues for the industry would likely persist.

“This particular move by the president is particularly unpopular with Big Pharma. You see, they would much prefer to sell you pharmaceutical drugs to do far greater damage,” Stone said. “It’s really only a matter of common sense. Alcohol is probably far more damaging to the human system than cannabis, even in the full sense of marijuana, could ever be—yet alcohol sales are legal, they’re regulated and they’re taxed by the states. So why not cannabis [which is] far less damaging than oxycontin for pain?”

Stone—a Republican political operative who has served as a senior campaign aide to Trump as well as to Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan during their administrations—noted that he became a “convert” for legalization when his father was dying from cancer and cannabis “alleviated his suffering when his time came.”

He’s reiterated the impact of that experience in multiple interviews over the years.

“I have no qualms about my sister and I deciding to get him the cannabis that eased the final days of his life,” he said. “I hope President Trump does either reclassify, or even better, declassify cannabis—and does it now.”

He also pointed out that, while “Democrats always talk about” marijuana reform, they declined to enact meaningful policy changes during prior sessions when they wielded control of both chambers of Congress and the presidency.

He said that was the case under former President Barack Obama, but it was also the case under former President Joe Biden for one session—though Biden did initiate the rescheduling process that is now being considered by Trump.

“They did nothing,” Stone said. “I pray that President Trump will make a very different decision.”

The GOP operative also made the case for cannabis reform in an op-ed for Marijuana Moment earlier this month.

—
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—

Meanwhile, the Republican Senate sponsor of a bipartisan cannabis banking bill said recently that Trump rescheduling marijuana would be an “important domino” to advance his legislation.

Whether Trump ultimately decides to move forward with rescheduling remains to be seen. Despite his endorsement of the policy change on the campaign trail ahead of his election for a second term, he declined to restate that support when asked about it during a briefing late last month—though he did say a decision would come within weeks.

Image element courtesy of Gage Skidmore.

The post Trump Can Outdo Democrats By Rescheduling Marijuana When They Failed To Do So, Roger Stone Says appeared first on Marijuana Moment.

View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net