Trump’s marijuana mistake

Published April 24, 2026 5:00am ET



The Justice Department announced Thursday that it was immediately reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I drug, like heroin, to a Schedule III drug, like common painkillers, a move it said would allow further research into the drug’s effectiveness as a medicine. But there is already an extensive body of research showing marijuana causes far more harm than benefits to patients, and rescheduling will turbocharge investment in an industry that hurts the very Americans President Donald Trump swore to protect.

The process to reschedule marijuana started under President Joe Biden in 2022, and, if he had been reelected, would have been completed in 2025. Some people hoped Trump would reverse Biden’s marijuana folly, but unfortunately, it appears he has only delayed it.

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