In what is being hailed as a "watershed moment" for the cannabis industry, President Trump has officially signed an executive order to move cannabis from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 of the Controlled Substances Act.
This historic shift, which follows a bipartisan initiation process started by the Biden administration, formally recognizes the plant's medical benefits for the first time in over 50 years.
Beyond rescheduling, the order explores directing Medicare to cover CBD products and encourages Congress to pass the Safer Banking Act to grant legal businesses access to traditional financial institutions.
Industry experts anticipate the move will eliminate the heavy federal tax burdens of IRS Code 280E, spark a surge in clinical research, and skyrocket institutional investment. While the President emphasized that this is not full federal legalization, the order opens the door for future clemency for non-violent offenders and marks a significant step toward ending the stigma of prohibition.