{"id":219047,"date":"2025-12-18T17:28:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T22:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/?post_type=press_release&p=219047"},"modified":"2025-12-18T17:28:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T22:28:19","slug":"aclu-responds-to-president-trumps-announcement-rescheduling-marijuana","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/aclu-responds-to-president-trumps-announcement-rescheduling-marijuana","title":{"rendered":"ACLU Responds to President Trump\u2019s Announcement Rescheduling Marijuana"},"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-219047","press_release","type-press_release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"subheading":"","date_and_time":"2025-12-18 17:00:00","featured_image":"","show_on_press_releases_landing_page":true,"components":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"WASHINGTON \u2013 President Trump announced today that he will direct executive agencies to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law, recognizing that marijuana has accepted medical uses and a lower potential for dependence. Marijuana is currently classified alongside substances such as heroin, and rescheduling would instead place it alongside medications like Tylenol with codeine. The announcement follows years of advocacy directed at many administrations, expanding scientific research, and widespread state-level reforms.\r\n\r\n\u201cToday\u2019s announcement is a significant step toward aligning federal marijuana policy with science, evidence, and the realities on the ground in states across the country,\u201d said Nina Patel, senior policy counsel at the ACLU. <\/strong>\u201cCongress must now pass the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act and the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act) to ensure justice for the people and communities harmed by the war on drugs. These federal bills would remove federal criminal penalties for marijuana, provide criminal history record clearing, and necessary investments in communities disproportionately targeted for criminalization. The ACLU will continue the fight to end unjust and punitive drug polices for everyone and the creation of a more perfect union for all.\u201d"}}],"drupal_node_id":"","email":"media@aclu.org","phone":"(212) 549-2666","address":{"address_1":"125 Broad Street","address_2":"18th Floor","city":"New York","state":"NY","zip_code":10004,"country":"United States"},"pgp_public_key":"","issues":[46391,46427,46767,46727,46735],"press_releases_related_to_cases":"","spokesperson":[148948],"related_affiliates":"","related_content_documents":"","related_content_publications":""},"yoast_head":"\nAmerican Civil Liberties Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ACLU Responds to President Trump\u2019s Announcement Rescheduling Marijuana | American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/aclu-responds-to-president-trumps-announcement-rescheduling-marijuana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aclu\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/aclu-responds-to-president-trumps-announcement-rescheduling-marijuana\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/aclu-responds-to-president-trumps-announcement-rescheduling-marijuana\",\"name\":\"ACLU Responds to President Trump\u2019s Announcement Rescheduling Marijuana | American Civil Liberties Union\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-18T22:28:19+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/aclu-responds-to-president-trumps-announcement-rescheduling-marijuana\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/\",\"name\":\"American Civil Liberties Union\",\"description\":\"The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union \u2014 beyond one person, party, or side. 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