Gizem Nisa Demir
09 August 2025•Update: 09 August 2025
ISTANBUL
The administration of US President Donald Trump is reexamining efforts by his predecessor to relax restrictions on marijuana, with Trump telling donors at a recent $1 million-a-plate fundraiser “that’s something we’re going to look at,” US media reported Friday.
At the event, held at Trump’s Bedminster golf club and attended by cannabis industry figures including Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers, Trump briefly addressed cannabis reform, according to online outlet Marijuana Moment, which pointed to the reforms under former President Joe Biden.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told CNN that “all policy and legal requirements and implications are being considered,” adding that “the only interest guiding the president’s policy decision is what is in the best interest of the American people.”
CNN reported divisions within the administration, with some advisers pressing Trump to act on his campaign pledge to reschedule marijuana, meaning put into a less restrictive classification, while others warned that the potential “moral and legal ramifications” could carry political costs.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has reportedly sought input from federal agencies on the issue and compiled their responses into a report now on her desk.
Federal Election Commission records show major cannabis industry contributions to Trump’s political committees, including $1 million to his MAGA Inc. super PAC, with Trulieve accounting for $250,000. The PAC also paid more than $120,000 to a consulting firm linked to Trump that did polling on voter support for cannabis reforms.
While Trump has backed rescheduling and industry reforms in past campaign appearances, he has remained largely silent on the issue since beginning his second term in January.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) administrator Terrence Cole has downplayed rescheduling as a priority, focusing instead on drug trafficking and enforcement.
Marijuana advocates and industry analysts are awaiting clarity as the administration weighs the political, legal, and policy implications of cannabis reform.
In recent years, laws on recreational marijuana use in many individual US states have been relaxed, including legalization, but use is still illegal under federal law. Biden proposed relaxing restrictions on marijuana, but in his first term, Trump upheld the federal prohibition, and even removed protections for medical use.
