HOLLYWEED ITS A MOVEMENT

Editorial: Don’t Hand Trump a Win Descheduling Marijuana Is the Only Real Solution

Jennifer Miller

Since 1970, cannabis has carried the weight of a Schedule I drug lumped in with heroin, LSD, meth, and peyote under the claim it has “no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” That fiction has long since been debunked. Forty states recognize marijuana’s medical benefits, yet the federal government clings to Nixon-era dogma.

The Biden White House tried to change course in 2023, recommending a shift to Schedule III. That category covers substances with a “low to moderate potential for dependence,” like codeine, ketamine, steroids, and testosterone. On paper, Schedule III sounds like progress. In reality, it’s a half-measure.

Rescheduling wouldn’t legalize marijuana nationwide. State programs would still clash with federal law, leaving millions vulnerable to prosecution. And while some hope Schedule III would supercharge research, NORML argues it won’t cut through the red tape that already chokes cannabis science. The one meaningful perk? Tax relief. Moving to Schedule III would lift Section 280E, finally allowing cannabis businesses to claim standard deductions. No wonder the industry is pushing hard.

But why stop there? If cannabis truly doesn’t belong alongside heroin, why should it remain anywhere on the Controlled Substances Act? Descheduling is the only way to align federal law with reality granting states real autonomy, ending needless prosecutions, and removing the stigma that’s fueled a century of prohibition.

Enter Donald Trump, a lifelong teetotaler suddenly toying with reclassification. In August he teased: “We’re looking at reclassification and we’ll make a determination over the next few weeks.” Two weeks later, nothing. Meanwhile, cannabis insiders flock to Mar-a-Lago, hoping to buy influence. MAGA hardliners recoil at the thought, yet Trumpworld allies like Matt Gaetz are already crowing, “Trump wins rescheduling marijuana.”

The irony is rich: Joe Biden gets blocked by the DEA, Trump hires new drug warriors and somehow it’s Trump who could claim victory. As Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) tries to scare him off with claims that rescheduling would fuel cartels, Bill Maher warns Democrats that Republicans will “steal pot from you as an issue.”

Maybe Trump will act, maybe he won’t. But even if he does, why should we let him pocket the optics of reform for a move that doesn’t go far enough? Rescheduling helps businesses and, yes, a few patients. Descheduling transforms the landscape for everyone.

Congress already has a blueprint: the MORE Act, which would remove marijuana from the CSA altogether. Though stalled in a Republican-controlled House, it remains the clearest path forward. Advocates must keep pushing not for a compromise that hands Trump a political gift, but for full descheduling, under any president willing to sign it.

Marijuana doesn’t belong in the same breath as heroin. It’s time to say it plainly: Deschedule now, legalize the right way, and don’t let Donald Trump take the credit.