Executive Order No. 14370. Increasing Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research

• Executive Order No.: 14370
• Published date: 23 December 2025
• Citation: 90 FR 60541
• Date: 18 December 2025
• Section: Presidential Documents

Presidential Documents

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Executive Order 14370 of December 18, 2025

Increasing Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the

laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose and Policy. Americans deserve access to the best medical

treatments and research infrastructure in the world. In 2023, the Food and

Drug Administration (FDA) completed a review of the landscape of medical

use of marijuana and found scientific support for its use to treat anorexia

related to a medical condition, nausea and vomiting, and pain. Chronic

pain affects nearly 1 in 4 United States adults and more than 1 in 3

United States seniors, and 6 in 10 people who use medical marijuana report

doing so to manage pain. Forty States plus the District of Columbia have

State- or locally-sanctioned, regulated medical marijuana programs. Yet dec-

ades of Federal drug control policy have neglected marijuana’s medical

uses. That oversight has limited the ability of scientists and manufacturers

to complete the necessary research on safety and efficacy to inform doctors

and patients.

Marijuana is currently controlled under Schedule I of the Controlled Sub-

stances Act (CSA). In 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services

(HHS) recommended to the Drug Enforcement Agency that marijuana be

controlled under Schedule III of the CSA. Schedule I drugs are defined

as drugs with no currently accepted medical use, a high potential for abuse,

and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug under medical supervision.

Schedule III drugs are classified as having a potential for abuse less than

the drugs or other substances in Schedules I and II, a currently accepted

medical use in treatment in the United States, and a potential for moderate

or low physical dependence or high psychological dependence in the event

of drug abuse.

The recommendation from HHS included a determination that medical mari-

juana has a currently accepted medical use. That determination was based

in part on a finding by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health

that more than 30,000 licensed healthcare practitioners across 43 United

States jurisdictions are authorized to recommend the medical use of mari-

juana for more than 6 million registered patients to treat at least 15 medical

conditions. It was also based on a finding by the FDA of credible scientific

support to substantiate the use of marijuana in the treatment of pain, anorexia

related to certain medical conditions, and nausea and vomiting induced

by chemotherapy. The National Institute on Drug Abuse concurred with

the FDA’s recommendation that marijuana be rescheduled from Schedule

I to Schedule III of the CSA. In May 2024, the Department of Justice issued

a proposed rule to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III. The proposed

rule received nearly 43,000 public comments and is currently awaiting an

administrative law hearing.

The Federal Government’s long delay in recognizing the medical use of

marijuana does not serve the Americans who report health benefits from

the medical use of marijuana to ease chronic pain and other various medically

recognized ailments. Americans who often seek alternative relief from chronic

pain symptoms are particularly impacted. For example, in one research

survey, 20 percent of participating United States veterans reported using

fewer opioids as a result of their medical marijuana use. One in 10 seniors

used marijuana in the last year and some evidence shows improvements

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in seniors’ health-related quality of life and pain with medical marijuana

use. However, the current Schedule I position of marijuana has impeded

research. The lack of appropriate research on medical marijuana and con-

sequent lack of FDA approval leaves American patients and doctors without

adequate guidance on appropriate prescribing and utilization. One patient

survey showed that just 56 percent of older Americans using marijuana

have discussed the usage with their healthcare provider. This places patients,

especially seniors who may be on multiple medications, at increased risk

of drug interactions or other adverse events. The Federal Government must

improve the research infrastructure for medical marijuana to better serve

Americans.

In addition to medical marijuana, which is primarily made up of two

cannabinoids—cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydracannabinol (THC)—hemp-

derived cannabinoid products, defined by section 297A of the Agricultural

Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1639o), have shown potential to improve

patient symptoms for common ailments and are frequently used by Ameri-

cans. One in 5 United States adults and nearly 15 percent of seniors reported

using CBD in the past year, and chronic pain patients have reported improve-

ments with CBD use in clinical studies. Furthermore, evidence suggests

that the amount of THC in hemp-derived cannabinoid products can affect

both pain treatment efficacy and adverse events. Hemp-derived cannabinoids,

as defined in 7 U.S.C. 1639o, are not controlled substances under the CSA

but are subject to the same authorities and requirements as FDA-regulated

products containing any other substance. Adding complexity is the fact

that some full-spectrum CBD products will once again be controlled as

marijuana under the CSA when section 781 of Public Law 119–37 goes

into effect because they contain THC levels above the per-container threshold

set by that law. Further, a recent study found that some commercially

available CBD products evaluated were inaccurately labeled regarding CBD

isolate, broad-spectrum, or full-spectrum composition, posing safety risks

for consumers. In short, the current legal landscape leaves American patients

and doctors without adequate guidance or product safeguards for CBD.

It is the policy of my Administration to increase medical marijuana and

CBD research to better inform patients and doctors. It is critical to close

the gap between current medical marijuana and CBD use and medical knowl-

edge of risks and benefits, including for specific populations and conditions.

Research methods and models should include real-world evidence and

should facilitate affordable access in order to rapidly assess the health out-

comes of medical marijuana and legal CBD products while focusing on

long-term health effects in vulnerable populations like adolescents and young

adults.

Sec. 2. Rescheduling Medical Marijuana and Improving Access to

Cannabidiol Products. (a) The Attorney General shall take all necessary

steps to complete the rulemaking process related to rescheduling marijuana

to Schedule III of the CSA in the most expeditious manner in accordance

with Federal law, including 21 U.S.C. 811.

(b) The Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative,

Political, and Public Affairs shall work with the Congress to update the

statutory definition of final hemp-derived cannabinoid products to allow

Americans to benefit from access to appropriate full-spectrum CBD products

while preserving the Congress’s intent to restrict the sale of products that

pose serious health risks. This will include consultation with appropriate

executive departments and agencies and authorities to develop a regulatory

framework for hemp-derived cannabinoid products, including development

of guidance on an upper limit on milligrams of THC per serving with

considerations on per container limits and CBD to THC ratio requirements.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Commissioner of Food

and Drugs, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid

Services, and the Director of the National Institutes of Health shall develop

research methods and models utilizing real-world evidence to improve access

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to hemp-derived cannabinoid products in accordance with Federal law and

to inform standards of care.

Sec. 3. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed

to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency,

or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget

relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and

subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit,

substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party

against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers,

employees, or agents, or any other person.

(d) The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department

of Health and Human Services.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

December 18, 2025.

[FR Doc. 2025–23846

Filed 12–22–25; 11:15 am]

Billing code 4150–28–P

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