TPA Praises Decision to Reschedule Cannabis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kara Zupkus (224) 456-0257

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) praised the Trump administration for issuing an order placing federally-approved products containing marijuana and marijuana products regulated by a state medical marijuana license in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. This decision follows President Trump’s December 18, 2025, Executive Order (EO) expediting the rescheduling of marijuana from a Schedule I controlled substance to a Schedule III substance. According to the Controlled Substances Act, Schedule I substances have the highest potential for abuse and have no accepted medical use. In contrast, Schedule III substances are considered to have less potential for abuse and have a wider variety of potential medical and research purposes.

In response to the order, Ross Marchand, Executive Director at TPA, offered the following comment:

“Today’s order by the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration is a big win for taxpayers and consumers. The decades-long approach of prohibition and heavy-handed punishment for marijuana products has ruined countless lives and cost a fortune. Prohibition only succeeds in growing black markets and making consumers less safe. After witnessing the spectacular failure of alcohol prohibition, policymakers should have known better than to make marijuana a Schedule I drug. Fortunately, the Trump administration is reversing course and pursuing a sensible lighter-touch approach.

“This should be the beginning of a wider shift away from prohibition and toward harm reduction. Millions of consumers are desperately trying to quit smoking, only to be told by the Food and Drug Administration that they can’t buy tobacco harm reduction products in stores. The federal and state governments are making the same mistake in barring access to 7-Hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), yet another harm reduction product. Bans and onerous regulations have failed the American people.

“The Trump administration deserves applause for shifting away from failed drug policies. This reclassification is an important stepping stone away from prohibition and toward research, medical treatment, and harm reduction.”

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The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis, and dissemination of information on the government’s impact on the economy.