The process to downgrade the status of marijuana under federal law and officially acknowledge medical cannabis as a valid treatment is still on hold, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said in a quarterly update this week.
In the meantime, a growing chorus of President Donald Trump loyalists are encouraging the White House to take action – a move many observers believe will be the only way marijuana is moved to Schedule 3 of the Controlled Substances Act.
Hearings before the DEA’s top administrative law judge concerning the Biden administration proposal to reclassify marijuana have been on pause since January, shortly before Trump was inaugurated for his second term.
Rescheduling advocates requested the pause in part because they believed the DEA had rigged the process against them and that the entire procedure should be restarted.
The DEA has the power to resume hearings at any time and is required to give an update on the process to Chief Administrative Law Judge John Mulrooney every 90 days.
No movement on marijuana rescheduling, DEA says
In its latest update, the DEA informed Mulroney on July 7 that rescheduling is still on hold with “no briefing schedule … set,” attorney Shane Pennington confirmed to the Cannabis Business Times.
The DEA’s currently is led by a new acting administrator, Robert Murphy. The previous acting administrator, Derek Maltz, recently retired.
The Senate has still not confirmed Trump’s nominee to lead the agency, former top agent Terrance Cole.
Cole, who served as Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s homeland security chief, dodged senators’ questions on marijuana rescheduling in written correspondence earlier this spring.
Though Youngkin is a known foe of marijuana legalization and Cole has expressed anti-cannabis views, most observers agree the DEA will take direction from Trump, who expressed support for rescheduling during the 2024 campaign.
Trump supporters urge president to reschedule
After the DEA’s non-update, several Trump loyalists with high-volume social media accounts urged the president to push rescheduling forward, according to Reddit users.
“As a former police officer, I strongly support President Trump on wanting to reschedule marijuana,” political commentator David Freeman posted to his 1.4 million X followers.
“Foreign nations are outpacing the U.S. in medical marijuana research, and we must take the lead.”
Freeman’s post echoed several others from Trump loyalists, Cultivated News observed.
Despite these hints and others, neither Trump nor any White House official has indicated the president will act on rescheduling anytime soon.
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