[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 244 (Tuesday, December 23, 2025)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 60541-60543]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-23846]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 244 / Tuesday, December 23, 2025 /
Presidential Documents
[[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
[[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 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 Americans. 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 improvements 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 knowledge 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 outcomes 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
[[Page 60543]]
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.
(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
December 18, 2025.
[FR Doc. 2025-23846
Filed 12-22-25; 11:15 am]
Billing code 4150-28-P