The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made a landmark decision Thursday, immediately reclassifying FDA-approved marijuana products and state-licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act.
The DOJ is also fast-tracking a bigger effort to fully reschedule marijuana under federal law.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed the rescheduling order, carrying out President Trump’s December 2025 executive order aimed at expanding medical marijuana and CBD research.
🚨Justice Department Places FDA-Approved Marijuana Products and Products Containing Marijuana Subject to a Qualifying State-issued License in Schedule III, Strengthening Medical Research While Maintaining Strict Federal Controls
“The Department of Justice is delivering on… pic.twitter.com/MkZbANoZ8l
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) April 23, 2026
“The Department of Justice is delivering on President Trump’s promise to expand Americans’ access to medical treatment options,” Blanche said in an April 23 press release. “This rescheduling action allows for research on the safety and efficacy of this substance, ultimately providing patients with better care and doctors with more reliable information.”
The reclassification places both FDA-approved cannabis drug products and medicinal marijuana regulated under qualifying state-issued licenses in Schedule III – the same tier as ketamine and anabolic steroids – recognizing decades of state-level regulation and what the DOJ called a “common-sense approach to this reality.”
Certain forms of medical marijuana are now officially recognized by the federal government as having accepted medical use and a lower risk profile, putting them in the same category as some more commonly prescribed medications.
Alongside the immediate reclassification, the DOJ also announced that a new administrative hearing is set for June 29 to consider the full rescheduling of all forms of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III.
“Under the direction of President Trump and Acting Attorney General Blanche, DEA is expeditiously moving forward with the administrative hearing process – bringing consistency and oversight to an area that has lacked both,” said DEA Administrator Terry Cole. “Our men and women in law enforcement remain committed to fighting drug cartels, the fentanyl epidemic, and protecting American lives.”
Researchers have encountered significant challenges in studying marijuana due to its classification as a Schedule I substance, which necessitates special approval from the DEA and limits accessibility for many institutions. The proposed reclassification of certain cannabis products to Schedule III is expected to alleviate these restrictions, thereby facilitating the conduct of comprehensive, large-scale studies on cannabis-based treatments.
The Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law published data showing that rescheduling could benefit state medical marijuana programs by enabling more reliable scientific evidence about the effects of marijuana, and that medical marijuana companies may find more success lobbying for insurance coverage if marijuana is found to have a “currently accepted medical use” under the CSA.
For Texans, this week’s scheduling change may be a welcomed step, but the Lone Star State still has much work to do to clarify its marijuana laws.
As The Dallas Express previously reported, following Trump’s December executive order, access to medical marijuana in the state has remained limited to the Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP), which operates with only a small number of active licensed dispensaries. Despite the recent expansions brought about by House Bill 46, the program still faces challenges due to the limited number of operational dispensaries. This shortage has directly impacted access for qualifying patients, particularly in more remote communities.
