President Donald Trump is taking a new look at reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug in a move that could nudge the federal government closer to an approach already embraced in many states.

The landscape of American drug policy stands at a potential crossroads, where decades of federal classification systems may face significant revision. Recent discussions within political circles have focused attention on one of the most debated substances in American law enforcement and public health policy, suggesting that fundamental changes to federal drug scheduling could be on the horizon. These conversations represent more than policy adjustments; they reflect evolving national attitudes toward substances that have been central to criminal justice debates for generations.

The implications of potential federal policy changes extend far beyond legal technicalities, touching on criminal justice reform, medical research opportunities, business development, tax policy, and the complex relationship between federal and state authorities in drug regulation. As states across the nation have implemented their own approaches to cannabis policy, the tension between federal classification and state-level implementation has created a complex legal and economic landscape that may be ripe for federal clarification.

What is there for Trump to consider?

Trump is weighing the pros and cons of a marijuana policy change, noting it’s a “very complicated subject.”

“I’ve heard great things having to do with medical” use of marijuana and “bad things having to do with just about everything else,” Trump said Monday.

Marijuana advocacy groups have long pushed for the federal government to soften its stance. As a candidate, Trump appeared open to relaxed regulation, posting on his social media platform last year that he would “focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug.”

But reclassification faces resistance from some conservatives and law enforcement groups. The National Sheriffs’ Association was among those submitting written opposition, highlighting prior determinations that marijuana has a “high abuse potential” and pointing to cases of “extreme intoxication” and fatal vehicle crashes.

What’s happening in the states?

The medical use of marijuana is already allowed in 40 states and the District of Columbia. Over the past dozen years, the number of jurisdictions legalizing recreational marijuana for adults rose rapidly to 24 states and the District of Columbia.

But the movement suffered some recent setbacks.

Ballot measures to legalize recreational marijuana failed last fall in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota. Florida’s measure received a majority vote, which would have been sufficient in most states, but fell short of the 60% threshold needed to approve amendments to the state constitution.

Idaho lawmakers this year referred a proposed constitutional amendment to the ballot that would forbid citizen initiatives to legalize marijuana and instead leave such decisions only to the Legislature.

Initiatives continue elsewhere to try to place recreational marijuana on the ballot, including in Oklahoma, where voters defeated a measure in 2023.