GOP Lawmakers Break With Trump On Loosening Federal Restrictions For Marijuana
Republican lawmakers objected Thursday to President Donald Trump’s decision to ease federal restrictions on marijuana.
The president signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to complete the reclassification of marijuana as a less dangerous drug, although the directive does not legalize recreational marijuana. Many Republicans have warned the president about retaining marijuana as a Schedule I drug, arguing that the substance poses a threat to public safety and poses addiction risks for young people. (RELATED: CNN’s Harry Enten Says Democrats Could Go Up in Smoke if Trump Reclassifies Marijuana)
Marijuana is currently placed in the same classification as heroin, synthetic opioids, and ecstasy, which are considered substances that have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
Trump’s directive would finalize the reclassification of marijuana as a Schedule III drug, loosening some research restrictions and expanding medical uses, regardless of state laws.
“It’s a gateway drug,” Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott, who said his brother died after a lifetime of battling drug addiction, told reporters Thursday.
“Marijuana impacts your brain. There are no ifs and buts,” the Florida Republican said.
“I worry that marijuana is more dangerous than people make it out to be,” South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said when asked about the planned reclassification.
The duo, both close allies of Trump, are among 22 Republican senators who sent a letter to Trump on Wednesday, urging the president to keep marijuana a Schedule I drug. Four members of the Republican Senate leadership also signed the letter, Punchbowl News first reported.
“Marijuana continues to meet the definition of a Schedule I drug due to its high potential for abuse and lack of FDA-approved use,” the 22 Republican senators wrote. “Evidence shows that marijuana is harmful to its users, especially young people and pregnant and lactating women. »
Across the Capitol, 26 House Republicans penned a similar letter calling on Trump to refrain from reclassifying marijuana. The cohort argued that marijuana is “a harmful drug that is worsening our nation’s addiction crisis,” in a letter reported by Fox News.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 11: Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) leaves the Senate Chamber on December 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Schedule III substances are defined as having “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” Drugs in this classification include ketamine, anabolic steroids, and Tylenol with codeine.
The reclassification process began under former President Joe Biden’s administration in 2024, but he did not complete the reclassification before leaving office.
“The facts require the federal government to recognize that marijuana can be legitimate in terms of medical applications when administered carefully,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday.
Trump also established a pilot program Thursday to allow Medicaid recipients to be reimbursed for certain CBD treatments.
CNN senior reporter Harry Enten said Tuesday that Trump could improve his political standing with young people if he moves forward with easing federal restrictions on marijuana.
“This could be an issue that could help, among other things, bring them back into the president’s camp,” Enten said. “So, to me, that could be a point of contention that the president could use, in fact, against his Democratic opposition.”
In 2024, Trump notably pledged to expand the medical uses of marijuana by reclassifying the drug if granted a second term. He also supported a ballot initiative in his home state of Florida to legalize recreational marijuana for people 21 and older. Voters rejected the referendum in November 2024 following vocal opposition from Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, and the state’s Republican Party.
“In my district in particular, we are not big supporters of marijuana,” Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who represents a Gulf Coast district outside Tampa, told reporters Wednesday.
Caden Olson contributed to this report.
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