Gov. Beshear to President Trump:
Oppose Move To Block Rescheduling of Cannabis
FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 25, 2025) – Gov. Andy Beshear sent a letter to President Donald Trump this week asking the President to oppose congressional appropriations language that would block the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from rescheduling marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act. If rescheduling is seen through, marijuana would be reclassified from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug, which is less restrictive.
“Patients suffering should have access to safe cannabis for treatment, and rescheduling would help provide more Americans – and Kentuckians – relief,” said Gov. Beshear. “This step would also help make our communities safer and fuel more meaningful research around cannabis that could help more people.”
In the spring of 2024, the DEA proposed a rule that would reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, which would define marijuana as having a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. The proposal was made at the urging of the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services, which recognizes that cannabis has medical uses and is currently being used for medical purposes.
Earlier this month, the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies passed Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations language that would prohibit the U.S. Department of Justice, under which the DEA operates, from using funds to reschedule cannabis from its current Schedule I listing.
“This is not common-sense law,” wrote the Governor in his letter to the President. “It stops a process that is already underway to accomplish a policy end that is overwhelmingly supported by the medical and scientific communities as well as the American people – of every political party. Congress should not take the decision-making process out of the hands of medical and scientific experts when they don’t like the results.”
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