Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., told Newsmax on Friday that President Donald Trump’s executive order to reclassify marijuana represents a necessary step to expand legitimate medical research while maintaining concerns about youth use and mental health.
Cassidy, a physician, told “The Chris Salcedo Show” that he agreed with Trump’s decision to fast-track the review of marijuana’s federal classification, which could shift it from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act.
"I agree with the president’s stand," Cassidy said. "One, we need to have research in it."
Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance, a category reserved for drugs deemed to have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, such as heroin and LSD.
Reclassifying it to Schedule III would place it alongside substances, such as cocaine and many opioids, that have recognized medical applications and would significantly reduce barriers to federally approved research.
Cassidy said that change is especially important as questions persist about marijuana’s impact on young people.
"There’s an association of heavy marijuana use with serious mental illness in young men that needs to be studied more fully," he said, adding that such research is more feasible if marijuana is no longer treated as a Schedule I drug.
Trump’s executive order, signed Thursday, directs federal agencies to accelerate the review process that could open new pathways for Food and Drug Administration-approved studies.
The move marked a significant shift in federal drug policy and came as public support for marijuana reform, particularly among younger voters, continues to grow.
Cassidy said he supports limited medical use when evidence shows a clear benefit, pointing to a personal account shared with him by a former Republican colleague.
"I once had a good Republican congressman tell me about his daughter treated for melanoma," Cassidy said. "She had lots of vomiting associated with the chemotherapy, and the regular medicine didn’t work, but THC did."
Cassidy cautioned, however, that not all claims of medical marijuana are legitimate.
"Sometimes medical marijuana is just a charade to push it out on the streets,” he said. “I don’t agree with that."
He said his support is narrowly focused on research and carefully defined medical use, not broad legalization.
"For the isolated use of medical marijuana? Yes," Cassidy said. "For the research into it, yes."
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