President Donald Trump is privately considering one of the most politically charged policy shifts of his second term — reclassifying marijuana to a less dangerous federal category — even as deep divisions inside his White House threaten to stall the move.
The issue came up during a recent donor dinner at Trump’s Bedminster club in New Jersey, where the president, in between boasting about his ouster of the nation’s top economic statistician and riffing on New York City politics, told supporters: “We need to look at that… That’s something we’re going to look at.”
The remark revived a promise Trump made nearly a year ago — to remove marijuana from the same Schedule 1 classification as heroin and give states more freedom to legalize. That pledge, aimed at courting young voters, minorities, and libertarian-leaning Republicans, distinguished him from GOP predecessors. Yet, seven months into his second term, the commitment remains unfulfilled.
The White House Divide
According to people familiar with the matter, Trump’s political advisers have been pushing him to act, arguing it could energize Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms and expand his appeal among disillusioned young men. But policy advisers have urged caution, warning that loosening federal restrictions could alienate law-and-order voters and open the president to political and moral backlash.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson insisted that “all policy and legal requirements and implications are being considered” and said the only factor guiding Trump’s decision is “what is in the best interest of the American people.”
Mixed Public Signals
Despite private assurances, Trump’s intentions remain murky. Scotts Miracle-Gro CEO James Hagedorn — whose hydroponics division has profited from the cannabis industry and whose company donated $500,000 to a Trump super PAC — told Fox Business that the president has promised “multiple times” to reclassify marijuana.
Yet Trump’s new DEA chief, Terrance Cole, excluded marijuana reform from his top priorities, a move Hagedorn chalked up to Cole’s career in law enforcement.
Trump’s most direct pledge came during his campaign last September, when he wrote on Truth Social that he supported rescheduling marijuana to Schedule 3 and ending “needless arrests” for small personal-use amounts. At the time, he even discussed legalization with pro-cannabis rapper Afroman at a Libertarian Party convention.
Momentum Stalled
Under President Joe Biden, marijuana reform made major strides. Biden ordered federal agencies to review reclassification, and in 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended a shift to Schedule 3. The Justice Department moved to codify the change in 2024 — but the rule wasn’t finalized before Biden left office. The DEA canceled a planned hearing the day after Trump was sworn in, and it hasn’t been rescheduled.
Sources say Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has compiled a full agency report on the issue, now sitting on her desk, awaiting Trump’s review.
The ‘No Brainer’ Argument
Proponents insist rescheduling marijuana would open new research opportunities, boost job creation, and provide clarity to millions of patients in states with legal medical cannabis — including veterans. Influencers like Joe Rogan and young GOP strategist Alex Bruesewitz have publicly urged Trump to deliver on his campaign rhetoric, with Bruesewitz calling it a political “no brainer.”
Polling suggests why: a 2024 Pew Research survey found nearly 60% of Americans support full recreational legalization, while just 11% oppose it for any purpose.
The Obstacles
One sticking point for Trump is whether reclassification would hinder police from using the smell of marijuana as probable cause for stops and searches — a tactic he has historically defended as part of a tough-on-crime agenda. There’s also Trump’s personal aversion to drug use, shaped by his late brother’s struggle with alcoholism. In 2018, he claimed — without evidence — that marijuana causes traffic accidents and “an I.Q. problem.”
Still, political strategists warn that with young male voters drifting and Trump’s poll numbers softening in key demographics, a bold move on marijuana could be a rare unifying win.
For now, Trump’s musings remain just that — musings. But as one longtime adviser put it, “If he wants to do it, he’ll do it fast. The question is whether he wakes up one morning and decides it’s worth the fight.”