Will Trump's reclassifying of medical marijuana have any impact on criminal justice reform?

The Trump administration's executive order reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III has been hailed as a historic shift — but for thousands still incarcerated on federal cannabis-related convictions, it changes nothing.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed the order Thursday, moving licensed medical marijuana from the same category as heroin to the less-restrictive Schedule III. The reclassification gives licensed operators major tax breaks and reduces regulatory barriers for researchers. It does not, however, legalize marijuana or address existing penalties for possession and sale.

"While this is a victory, the fight is far from over," said Jason Ortiz of the Last Prisoner Project, a nonprofit focused on cannabis criminal justice reform. The order benefits what critics call "Big Weed" — predominantly white-owned licensed businesses — while leaving behind those serving harsh sentences for marijuana-related offenses, who are disproportionately Hispanic and Black.

Hector Ruben McGurk, 66, is serving life without parole for transporting thousands of pounds of marijuana and money laundering — a sentence his family believes far outweighs his crimes. "His release date is death," said his daughter-in-law Ferna Anguiano. "We see bigger cases, fatal cases, and people go in and out of prison and come out to their families."

Drug policy experts note that even Schedule V classification wouldn't eliminate marijuana-specific criminal penalties or mandatory minimums for possession. "What many on the right and left would like is to de-schedule it entirely," said Marta Nelson of the Vera Institute of Justice. "Regulate it like alcohol or tobacco."

The racial disparities extend to the business side: because state medical marijuana licenses are predominantly held by white owners, the tax relief from rescheduling will likely widen existing financial gaps in the cannabis industry.

Advocates are pushing Congress for comprehensive legislation addressing convictions and expungements, and lobbying the administration for large-scale commutation — though Nelson notes that keeping marijuana convictions on record serves the administration's immigration enforcement interests.

**What This Means For You:** If you or someone you know has a marijuana-related conviction, this reclassification does not automatically change your legal status. The path to relief remains through state-level expungement processes or federal clemency — both of which require active applications. For cannabis business owners, Schedule III means significant tax savings under IRS 280E provisions. For everyone else, the gap between policy reform and criminal justice reality remains wide.