The Trump administration is preparing to move forward with reclassifying marijuana under federal law, a step that would shift it from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, according to officials familiar with the process.

The change would reduce federal restrictions on marijuana-related medical research and recognize accepted medical use, but it would not legalize the drug at the federal level. It also would not automatically alter existing criminal sentences tied to marijuana possession or distribution.

Under current federal law, marijuana remains classified as a Schedule I substance, a category reserved for drugs considered to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. Moving it to Schedule III would place it alongside substances with recognized medical applications and lower levels of dependency risk, while still keeping it regulated.

President Donald Trump has previously signaled support for the change and expressed frustration with delays in the process. At a White House event on April 18, he indicated the administration should accelerate efforts to complete the rescheduling.

The proposed shift stems from an executive order issued in December directing the attorney general to begin steps toward reclassification. That order set in motion a multi-agency review process involving the Department of Health and Human Services and the Drug Enforcement Administration, followed by formal rulemaking procedures.

Those procedures typically include publication of a proposed rule, a public comment period, and potential administrative hearings before any final decision is implemented. Previous federal efforts to revise marijuana scheduling have taken years to complete, and a similar review initiated under the prior administration stalled before final action.

If finalized, the change would represent a significant shift in federal drug policy, though it would not resolve ongoing legal differences between federal law and state-level marijuana regulations, which vary widely across the country.