Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump is Increasing Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research
The White House - December 18, 2025
RECOGNIZING AND IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE OF MEDICAL USES OF MARIJUANA AND CANNABIDIOL FOR PATIENTS AND DOCTORS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order that will improve medical marijuana and cannabidiol research to better inform patients and doctors.
The Order directs the Attorney General to expedite completion of the process of rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III of the Controlled Substance Act (CSA).
The Order directs the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative, Political, and Public Affairs to work with the Congress to allow Americans to benefit from access to appropriate full-spectrum CBD products while still restricting the sale of products that pose serious health risks.
The Order directs HHS to develop research methods and models utilizing real-world evidence to improve access to hemp-derived cannabinoid products in accordance with Federal law and to inform standards of care.
REMOVING BARRIERS TO RESEARCH: Rescheduling marijuana corrects the Federal government’s long delay in recognizing the medical use of marijuana and will vastly improve research on safety and efficacy.
Marijuana is currently controlled as a Schedule I substance, which is defined as having no currently accepted medical use, a high potential for abuse, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.
Rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III is consistent with the 2023 recommendation from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that recognized for the first time that marijuana has a currently accepted medical use.
40 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia have State or locally-sanctioned, regulated medical marijuana programs, and HHS found that 30,000 licensed health care practitioners are authorized to recommend the medical use of marijuana for more than six million registered patients for at least 15 medical conditions.
The FDA reviewed the landscape of medical use of marijuana and found credible scientific support for its use to treat anorexia related to a medical condition, nausea and vomiting, and pain.
Chronic pain affects nearly one in four U.S. adults and more than one in three U.S. seniors, and six in 10 people who use medical marijuana report doing so to manage pain.
One in 10 seniors used marijuana in the last year and evidence shows improvements in some seniors’ health-related quality of life and pain with medical marijuana use.
However, the lack of appropriate research on medical marijuana and consequent lack of FDA approval leaves American patients and doctors without adequate guidance on appropriate prescribing and utilization, especially as just over half of older Americans using marijuana have discussed the usage with their healthcare provider.
Schedule III status will allow research studies to incorporate real-world evidence and models that can assess the health outcomes of medical marijuana and legal CBD products while focusing on long-term health effects in vulnerable populations like adolescents and young adults.
IMPROVING ACCESS TO CANNABIDIOL PRODUCTS: President Trump is paving the way for enhanced research and better information on hemp-derived cannabinoid products, helping to inform patients and doctors about their potential role in managing common health conditions.
Hemp-derived cannabinoid products, primarily containing CBD, are not controlled substances under the CSA but currently lack a clear FDA regulatory pathway, limiting product consistency and consumer protections.
Hemp-derived cannabinoid products have potential to improve patient symptoms for common ailments and are frequently used by Americans.
One in five U.S. adults and nearly 15% of seniors reported using CBD in the past year.
Clinical studies have shown that chronic pain patients have reported improvements with CBD use.
The challenging legal landscape for CBD products, including recent changes that affect full-spectrum CBD products, leaves American patients and doctors without adequate guidance or product safeguards.
Legislative solutions and innovative research methods and models are needed to improve access and inform standards of care. This Administration is committed to work expeditiously to provide clarity and access as appropriate.
DELIVERING ON PROMISES TO HELP IMPROVE HEALTHCARE FOR ALL AMERICANS: President Trump is committed to ensuring our seniors, our veterans, and all Americans have access to the best medical treatments and research infrastructure in the world.
President Trump has announced five deals with major pharmaceutical manufacturers to bring prices in line with those paid in other developed nations, which will provide substantial price relief on numerous products taken by millions of Americans.
In February, President Trump signed an Executive Order to that will ensure patients have access to clear, accurate prices before they receive care.
In April, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration announced a series of measures to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply.
In May, President Trump signed an Executive Order to increase options for care, benefits, and services for our veterans. This includes reduced wait times for Veterans Health Administration appointments through options such as expanded hours, weekend appointments, and virtual healthcare.
Also in May, President Trump signed an Executive Order to impose the highest standards of scientific rigor on both the development and use of science by Federal agencies to restore public trust and ensure that policymaking follows, or adequately addresses, scientific findings, for demonstratable positive outcomes for the American public.
In July, President Trump signed into law the historic Working Families Tax Cuts Act that included, among other things, an unprecedented $50 billion investment into transforming healthcare in rural communities.
The historic law also expanded access to Health Savings Accounts that give millions of Americans more control over their healthcare dollars and increased access to Direct Primary Care.
The Trump Administration is accelerating the approval and availability of safe, effective medicines by reducing unnecessary clinical testing for biosimilars—expanding patient options and lowering costs for millions.
Squaded Up
At the signing event, Trump was flanked by healthcare professionals, including cancer specialists and Veterans Affairs advocates, underscoring a key line of the fact sheet: federal policy has lagged far behind clinical reality in many fields. Medical schools rarely teach the full therapeutic profile of cannabinoid compounds, and VA members highlighted how THC-rich regimens can offer relief that conventional pharmaceuticals sometimes do not. That contextual framing matches reporting of supportive voices at the ceremony and helps explain the emphasis on research and clinical legitimacy.
What Rescheduling to Schedule III Actually Means
Not legalization. Even after this rescheduling directive, products remain controlled under federal law and are not made legal for recreational use nationwide. The Substance remains illegal federally until the DEA formally concludes its rulemaking — a step that usually includes public notice, comment, and timeline uncertainty.
Lower barriers for research and development. Schedule III status signals recognized medical utility and lower abuse potential relative to Schedule I drugs (like heroin or LSD). This can ease Institutional Review Board hurdles, open doors for pharmaceutical-grade clinical trials, and encourage private sector involvement in evidence development.
Potential tax and industry impact. Although not automatic, rescheduling can unlock certain tax benefits (like normal federal deductions under IRS code 280E) that were previously unavailable to businesses selling Schedule I products. That’s a real economic incentive already reflected in market movements today.
Longer-Term Policy Directions
Focus on seniors and vulnerable populations. The fact sheet stresses how older adults and chronic pain sufferers report quality-of-life improvements from cannabinoid use — even as standard medical guidance remains fragmented. This framing supports the administration’s intent to inform standards of care rather than promote general use.
Congressional engagement on CBD pathways. CBD products derived from hemp are already legal at the federal level but lack a clear FDA framework, leading to inconsistency in labeling, testing, and safety standards. The executive order pushes a legislative solution for more predictable access and quality controls.
Medical training and knowledge gaps. Speakers at the signing noted that many clinicians aren’t trained in cannabinoid pharmacology — a knowledge gap this policy shift aims to help address by generating stronger evidence that can be integrated into clinical practice over time.
What It Does Not Change
Recreational use remains federally illegal. Rescheduling doesn’t override existing federal prohibition outside approved medical contexts.
FDA approval is still required for marketed medicines. Schedule III classification acknowledges potential medical utility but does not mean that all products automatically become FDA-approved drugs; that process remains separate.
Snapshot of the Policy Shift
In bureaucratic terms, this is one of the most consequential federal moves on regulated flower policy in decades: it recognizes medical potential and aims to unlock research, without granting recreational legality or dismantling federal controls entirely. The factsheet and today’s ceremony were crafted to underscore that clinical legitimacy — backed by doctors and VA voices — and systematic research are the prevailing drivers of this policy shift.
