Increasing Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research
Record date: 2025-12-23
( printed page 60541) 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
What this record contains
- Federal Register document
- 2025-23846
- Publication date
- 2025-12-23
- Citation
- 90 FR 60541
- Issuing office
- Executive Office of the President
Official record excerpt
( printed page 60541) 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 decades 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 Substances 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 marijuana 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 marijuana 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 ( printed page 60542) 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 consequent 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
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