Donald Trump has privately indicated he is considering reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug if elected to a second term, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.
The idea surfaced during a high-dollar fundraiser at Trump’s New Jersey golf club earlier this month, where attendees paid up to $1 million per plate for access to the former president.
At the gathering, Trump reportedly told donors he was open to changing the federal government’s stance on marijuana, which is currently categorized as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act.
That classification places cannabis in the same category as heroin, LSD, and ecstasy; drugs considered to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
Trump suggested he would be willing to support moving marijuana to Schedule III, a classification that still restricts the drug but recognizes it as having medical value and lowers the regulatory hurdles for businesses and researchers.
Such a change would represent a major shift in U.S. federal drug policy. The Biden administration formally proposed the reclassification earlier this year, but the plan has not yet been enacted.
Moving marijuana to Schedule III could unlock significant tax advantages for cannabis companies, allow more expansive medical research, and boost the rapidly growing legal cannabis industry, which already generates billions in annual sales across the country, The Guardian reports.
According to the Journal, Trump’s remarks came in response to encouragement from Kim Rivers, the CEO of Trulieve, one of the largest marijuana companies in the United States.
Rivers reportedly pressed Trump on the benefits of expanding access to medical cannabis and loosening restrictions that have long stifled industry growth.
Trump’s stance on marijuana has been somewhat inconsistent over the years. While he occasionally expressed openness to leaving the issue to the states, he also voiced skepticism about the drug’s effects.
In 2018, during a private dinner with donors Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, Trump was caught on a secret recording saying marijuana use “does cause an IQ problem; you lose IQ points,” Forbes detailed.
At that same dinner, Parnas pushed Trump to fire then-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, spreading false rumors that she was undermining the president.
Parnas and Fruman later became notorious for their involvement in Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to dig up dirt on Joe Biden in Ukraine.
Both were indicted and convicted on campaign finance charges after funneling money from a Russian oligarch into U.S. elections, partly in pursuit of a marijuana business venture.
Whether Trump’s latest comments signal a serious policy position or simply an offhand remark to donors remains unclear.