President Donald Trump nearly revealed major cannabis policy shift before it was finalised
President Donald Trump came close to publicly announcing one of the most significant changes to US drug policy in decades before it had cleared the required legal process, according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal.
The report says Trump had to be urged repeatedly by aides and lawyers not to disclose his decision to reclassify marijuana under federal law during an Oval Office meeting in early December. The change, which ultimately became official on December 18, would move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act.
The decision followed months of lobbying by the marijuana industry and came after a meeting involving Kim Rivers, chief executive of Florida based cannabis company Trulieve, Trump ally Howard Kessler, and Florida sheriff Gordon Smith. Trump was reportedly so eager to share the outcome that he said he intended to post about it on his social media platform before an executive order had even been drafted.
President Donald Trump nearly revealed major cannabis
According to Smith, tensions flared as White House insiders intervened. “The lawyers and his staff started yelling, ‘No sir, you can’t yet, there’s a 30 day period, it’s got to go through this and that,’” he told the Journal. “They had to stop him from posting.” Smith described the scene as surreal, adding that he was “in awe of the whole thing”.
The meeting was originally intended as a routine policy discussion covering marijuana, political messaging and strategy. Instead, it turned into a heated debate that reportedly included Mike Johnson, who joined by speakerphone. Johnson argued against the change, warning that marijuana was a dangerous gateway drug and voicing concerns shared by parts of the religious right.
Trump, who does not drink alcohol or use drugs and has long taken a hard line on illicit substances, ultimately sided with those pushing for reform. According to the report, he encouraged a direct exchange between Johnson and Sheriff Smith, effectively turning the call into a live argument over the risks and benefits of rescheduling cannabis. Dr Mehmet Oz was also present and is said to have supported moving marijuana to Schedule II, an option ultimately passed over.
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Cannabis has been classified as a Schedule I drug since 1970, placing it alongside heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine and defining it as having no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Trump’s decision to move it to Schedule III represents the most substantial easing of federal marijuana restrictions since US states began legalising recreational use in 2012.
Once aides prevented him from posting online, Trump instructed those in the room to move elsewhere and begin drafting an executive order. He reportedly wanted the document to reflect what he viewed as the “real story” behind the decision.
The order, signed on December 18, directed federal agencies to accelerate the rescheduling process. While the move does not legalise marijuana at the federal level, it carries major implications for medical research and for tax and regulatory rules that have long constrained the cannabis industry.
At the signing, Trump emphasised that the shift was designed to expand research into potential medical benefits rather than open the door to recreational legalisation. Public opinion continues to favour reform. A recent poll by Gallup found that 64 percent of Americans support legalising marijuana, though backing among Republicans has declined.
Even so, the near miss in the Oval Office underscores how close the announcement came to breaking before the formal process was complete, and how contentious the issue remains inside Trump’s own political coalition.
