Marijuana advocacy groups have long pushed for the federal government to soften its stance. As a candidate, Trump appeared open to relaxed regulation, posting on his social media platform last year that he would “focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug.”

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is looking to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a shift that could ease criminal penalties and reshape the pot industry by lowering tax burdens and making it easier for firms to secure funding.