Trump backs medical marijuana, CBD

Marijuana has accepted medical uses, and researchers should be able to study its risks and benefits, according to an executive order signed yesterday by US president Donald J. Trump. The order directs the US attorney general to expedite the reclassification of marijuana as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act, akin to testosterone or ketamine, instead of its current status as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and ecstasy. The order’s introduction heavily emphasizes the need for scientific research to catch up to the real-world medical use of cannabis products, including marijuana, hemp, and individual cannabinoid molecules. “The current Schedule I position of marijuana has impeded research,” it reads. “The lack of appropriate research on medical marijuana and consequent lack of FDA [US Food and Drug Administration] approval leaves American patients and doctors without adequate guidance on appropriate prescribing and utilization.”Nothing about the legality of any cannabis products in the US changes immediately, emphasizes Kyle Boyar, an analytical chemist who chairs the Cannabis Chemistry Subdivision of the American Chemical Society’s Division of Chemical Health and Safety. ACS publishes C&EN but is not involved in its editorial decisions. The rescheduling of marijuana has been underway since midway through the Joe Biden administration, Boyar says, but has stalled within the US Drug Enforcement Administration. “What this does is directs the attorney general to put pressure on the DEA to move this thing forward,” Boyar says. Even after rescheduling, scientists will have to contend with legal requirements put in place under