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Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Madison Burgess
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Donald Trump just signed-off on a huge change to a US drug law.
On Thursday (18 December) the 79-year-old US president signed an executive order that would reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug and open new avenues for medical research.
Essentially, the switch would move marijuana away from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside the likes of heroin and LSD.
Instead, it would sit in the Schedule III category with ketamine and some anabolic steroids - however, this doesn't mean marijuana would be legalised as some individual states have done.
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It does mean though, that it could change how the drug is regulated and reduce a hefty tax burden on the cannabis industry.
Trump said in the Oval Office: "I’m pleased to announce that I will be signing an Executive Order to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance with legitimate medical uses.
"This reclassification order will make it far easier to conduct marijuana-related medical research, allowing us to study benefits, potential dangers and future treatment."
He added: “It’s going to have a tremendously positive impact."
It's also important to note that the change still need to go through the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) formal rule-making process.
If it does, it would make for a landmark decision and one of the most significant federal changes to marijuana policy in decades.
According to Reuters, it could 'reshape the cannabis industry, unlock billions in research funding and open doors long closed to banks and investors'.
Similarly, the Justice Department under Trump’s Democratic predecessor Joe Biden proposed reclassifying marijuana to a Schedule III substance.
However, Trump has not had completely open encouragement from across his party for the move and some Republicans have spoken out in opposition to any changes.
For example, as reported by Fox News, a group of lawmakers sent a letter to Trump on Thursday urging him to not to make the change.
They argued that reclassifying marijuana would send the wrong message to America’s young people.
The group penned in their letter: "We write to urge you to oppose rescheduling marijuana, a harmful drug that is worsening our nation’s addiction crisis. Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug will send the wrong message to America’s children, enable drug cartels, and make our roads more dangerous."
But, the US president told reporters at the White House: "We have people begging for me to do this, people that are in great pain for decades.
"I don't want it, okay. I'm not gonna be taking it. But a lot of people do want it. A lot of people need it."
He added though that this 'in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug - has nothing to do with it'.
Trump warned: "It's never safe to use powerful controlled substances in a recreational manners, and especially in this case. So unless a drug is recommended by a doctor for medical reasons, just don't do it."