President Trump Nominates Todd Blanche as Permanent Attorney General After Interim Role Overseeing Marijuana Rescheduling Order

President Donald Trump has formally nominated Todd Blanche to serve as U.S. Attorney General, after Blanche has spent months leading the Justice Department in an interim capacity.

The nomination was sent to the U.S. Senate today, with the White House listing “Todd Blanche, of Florida, to be Attorney General.”

Blanche has been serving as acting attorney general during a consequential period for federal marijuana policy. In April, he signed the Justice Department’s order placing FDA-approved marijuana products and state-licensed medical marijuana in Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.

The order marked one of the most significant shifts in federal marijuana policy in decades, though it stopped short of rescheduling all marijuana. Adult-use marijuana remains Schedule I under federal law.

The Justice Department order also launched a separate administrative process to consider broader marijuana rescheduling, with a DEA hearing set to begin June 29.

That hearing will focus on whether marijuana should be moved more broadly from Schedule I to Schedule III. If approved, the change could have major tax and regulatory implications for the state-legal marijuana industry, including removing the 280E tax burden from businesses that remain subject to Schedule I or II restrictions.

Blanche’s nomination now heads to the Senate, where he will need confirmation before becoming permanent attorney general.