LNC Chair Applauds Trump’s Marijuana Rescheduling Executive Order

Libertarian National Committee Chair Steven Nekhaila has issued a statement applauding President Donald Trump’s move to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance, calling the previous classification “nonsense” that was overdue for a change.

In a December 18 statement shared by the Libertarian Party, Nekhaila said the move is a positive step that could expand medical access and scientific research, but added that broader cannabis reforms are still needed. The statement came in response to an executive order signed by Trump that same day directing federal agencies to accelerate efforts to reclassify marijuana under the federal Controlled Substances Act.

The order directs the Department of Justice, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, to complete the rulemaking process to move marijuana out of Schedule I, the category reserved for substances deemed to have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, and into Schedule III, which acknowledges accepted medical use under federal law and a “moderate to low potential” for dependence. Other substances currently classified as Schedule III include Tylenol with codeine, ketamine, and anabolic steroids.

In his statement, Nekhaila said that while he welcomed the policy shift, it was not “the finish line,” which he said would instead be decriminalization and full legalization. He also called for criminal records related to cannabis offenses to be expunged. “The federal war on cannabis has to end,” he added. “Peaceful adults shouldn’t be treated like criminals for a plant.”

While the executive order calls for the process to move “in the most expeditious manner,” it does not itself reschedule marijuana or legalize it federally. Formal rescheduling still requires completion of the federal rulemaking process, which began in 2023 when the Department of Health and Human Services initially recommended rescheduling. A proposed rule change was introduced the following year by the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration.