Trump Was ‘Poorly Advised’ On Marijuana Rescheduling, GOP Senator Says After Directly Raising Concerns With President

A GOP senator says President Donald Trump was “poorly advised” on marijuana rescheduling—and while he’s raised the issue with the president directly, the two ultimately “disagreed” on the issue.

Asked about the Trump administration’s position that moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) would promote research into the plant, Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) told Marijuana Moment on Thursday that “that’s a misnomer,” and “you don’t need to change the scheduling in order to do the testing.”

Budd—who led a letter joined by more than 20 other Republican senators in December that had urged Trump to reject the marijuana rescheduling proposal—also argued that the reform is “not good for the workforce” or “economic growth,” despite the fact that simply rescheduling cannabis would not federally legalize it.

“What they’re trying to do is end-run the process,” he said. “If they want to test it through regular [Food and Drug Administration, or FDA] means, then please proceed. But they’re trying to skip that. I just don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“The president was given bad information. I think the president thought he was making a good decision—and I support the president on the vast majority of his policies—but I think he was poorly advised,” Budd said.

The senator said he has spoken directly with Trump about his reservations around rescheduling, but “unfortunately we disagreed on that.”

“I don’t think anything pro-marijuana will age well,” he said. “It’s harming our children, so let’s leave it scheduled as is, and then you can still test. Look, we’re still testing opioids. They’re still testing heroin—all these things that are Schedule I. Let’s leave it as is.”

In the earlier letter he and other colleagues sent to Trump opposing rescheduling, Budd argued that the policy change would “undermine your strong efforts to Make America Great Again and to usher in America’s next economic Golden Age.”

House members sent a separate letter to the president saying that “rescheduling marijuana will not make America great.”

“You have always been a role model for America’s youth, telling young people for years that they should never do drugs,” the House members wrote. “We hope that you consider the harms of marijuana rescheduling and continue sending that strong message of hope to the next generation.”

Trump ultimately dismissed the concerns of GOP lawmakers who oppose marijuana rescheduling when asked about the letters, pointing out that an overwhelming majority of Americans support the reform and that cannabis can help people—including his personal friends—who are suffering from serious health issues.

GOP senators previously tried to block the administration from rescheduling cannabis as part of a standalone bill filed in 2023, but that proposal did not receive a hearing or vote.

Separately, a coalition of Republican state attorneys general criticized Trump’s rescheduling decision, saying cannabis is “properly” classified as a Schedule I drug with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department said last month there are currently no updates on the marijuana rescheduling process that Trump instructed the attorney general to complete “in the most expeditious manner” about two months ago.

As advocates and industry stakeholders await the completion of that process, DOJ deputy director of public affairs Wyn Hornbuckle told Marijuana Moment last month that “we don’t have any comment or updates” at this time.

As advocates and stakeholders await action on rescheduling, Trump separately signed large-scale spending legislation on Wednesday that continues a longstanding policy blocking Washington, D.C. from legalizing recreational cannabis sales.

The LCB contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.