Trump rescheduled marijuana as a Schedule III drug. 

On Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug. 

Under the Controlled Substances Act, a Schedule I drug is considered to have no currently accepted medical uses. A Schedule III drug is believed to have a “moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”

Rescheduling the drug will allow for medical research to be conducted. The executive order directs the attorney general to expedite the completion of the rescheduling process. 

“I want to emphasize that the order I am about to sign is not the legalization or it doesn’t legalize marijuana in any way, shape or form, and in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug,” said the president in a press briefing. 

Trump maintained a cautious stance against the recreational use of the drug. “Unless a drug is recommended by a doctor for medical reasons, just don’t do it. At the same time, the facts compel the federal government to recognize that marijuana can be legitimate in terms of medical applications when carefully administered,” said the president. 

Pennsylvania lawmakers reacted to the rescheduling of the drug. 

“It’s overdue. We should have rescheduled marijuana long ago,” said state Representative Emily Kinkead, a Democrat.

“It will bolster the existing medical marijuana marketplace. I think it’s going to be a significant step in the right direction to get us to a point where we’re not criminalizing marijuana,” said Democratic state Representative Dan Frankel. He is the Chair of the House Health Committee. 

The executive order does not impact criminal penalties or the recreational use of marijuana. States would still need to pass legislation legalizing the drug for recreational use. 

Both Kinkead and Frankel have introduced legislation that would legalize recreational marijuana use in the Commonwealth. 

Republican state Representative Abby Major has cosponsored Representative Kinkead’s legislation. 

“I look forward to building off the momentum of rescheduling by working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to deliver what 74% of Pennsylvanians want: adult-use cannabis,” said Major.

Medical marijuana use is currently the only legal use of the drug in Pennsylvania.