Marijuana Moment: Trump Says He’s ‘Very Strongly’ Considering Rescheduling Marijuana As Rumors Swell About Imminent Reform

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President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that the administration is “very strongly” considering a proposal to federally reschedule marijuana because it would boost research into the effects of cannabis.

“We are” weighing rescheduling, Trump told reporters after being asked about the issue at an unrelated signing ceremony. He added that “a lot of people want to see it—the reclassification—because it leads to tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify.”

“So we are looking at that very strongly,” he said.

The question to the president came amid heightened speculation about a possibly imminent rescheduling decision. CNBC reported it could come as early as Monday, but so far that has not materialized.

.@POTUS on marijuana rescheduling: "A lot of people want to see it — the reclassification — because it leads to tremendous amounts of research that can't be done unless you reclassify, so we are looking at that very strongly." pic.twitter.com/Ugych6rLCQ

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 15, 2025

It remains to be seen whether Trump will fulfill his campaign promise to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which would not legalize the plant but would let marijuana businesses take federal tax deductions while removing certain research barriers.

He endorsed rescheduling—as well as industry banking access and a Florida adult-use legalization initiative—on the campaign trail last year. But he’s since been largely silent on the issue since taking office during his second term, until a briefing in August where in response to a reporter’s question he announced the administration would decide on rescheduling within weeks.

Meanwhile, multiple top congressional Democrats are making the case that the modest reform would not go far enough—including Sen. Ron Wyden (R-OR) who said the move is only an attempt by the president to “gaslight” voters into thinking he legalized cannabis to boost his “pathetic” approval ratings.

A major drug testing industry organization separately said it’s “sounding the alarm” amid the reports Trump may soon finalize the rescheduling proposal, arguing that the policy change would “have catastrophic consequences for the safety of the United States workforce and transportation sectors.”

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Cannabis industry stakeholders are holding out hope that the reform will be achieved as soon as possible, but opponents—including the National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA) and Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM)—are working to dissuade the administration before a final decision is made.

For what it’s worth, a White House spokesperson told Marijuana Moment last week that no actions have been finalized so far.

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers have been weighing in on the potential rescheduling decision over the past week—with Democrats like Rep. Alex Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) calling the reform a “no-brainer” and others like Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) pushing back against the proposal.

Trump said in mid-August that he’d be making a decision on rescheduling within weeks. But despite that timeline and the escalating rumors, a White House spokesperson told Marijuana Moment last week that “no final decisions have been made on rescheduling of marijuana.”

The Washington Post reported last week that Trump was planning to issue an executive order directing federal agencies to move ahead with cannabis rescheduling.

The outlet also said the president met earlier this week in the Oval Office with marijuana industry executives, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz. During that meeting, Trump phoned Johnson, the House speaker, who expressed his opposition to rescheduling cannabis,

If the administration does ultimately enact rescheduling, it would mark one of the most significant developments in federal marijuana policy since its prohibition a half a century ago, with a Schedule III reclassification recognizing that marijuana has medical value and a lower abuse potential compared to other Schedule I drugs like heroin.

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