For more than 50 years,
the US government has classified marijuana as what's known as a Schedule 1 drug,
meaning that it's dangerous, it's bad for you,
and that it belongs in the same category as LSD and heroin.
But that could change soon, thanks to a directive from President Trump.
Today I'm pleased to announce that I will be signing an executive order to reschedule marijuana from a Schedule 1 to a Schedule 3 control substance with legitimate medical uses.
We have people begging for me to do this.
And Trump isn't wrong.
For years,
people have argued that marijuana should be taken seriously as a drug with therapeutic effects.
And this isn't just a line from your neighborhood stoner.
The idea of making marijuana more widely accessible has broad appeal.
I can't tell you, I think I probably have received more phone calls.
on this, on doing what we're doing.
I don't think I received any calls on the other side of it." What you're hearing here is striking.
You've got a sitting Republican president speaking so highly of a drug that's illegal under federal law,
despite the fact that historically, Republicans have usually been the ones who are tough on drugs.
But in this moment, the politics around marijuana are changing in a big way.
From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports.
I'm Martine Powers.