Is Donald Trump the Drug President?

[ad_1] On April 18, flanked by Joe Rogan, a Navy SEAL and Rick Perry's ibogaine consortium, President Donald Trump signed an government order to fast-track psychedelic drug approvals. 4 months earlier, he directed federal businesses to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III. In each ceremonies, the identical body appeared: Trump positioning himself because the champion of "medicines of therapeutic" in opposition to "poison pushed by cartels."

No president since Richard Nixon launched the battle on medicine in 1971 has moved thus far, so quick, on making managed substances extra accessible. But concurrently, Trump has weaponized fentanyl enforcement, defunded harm-reduction packages by a whole lot of tens of millions and minimize practically $1 trillion from Medicaid—the first supply of dependancy therapy in America.

The contradiction sits on the heart of a drug coverage that's, directly, probably the most permissive and probably the most militarized in trendy historical past.

Execution Over Rhetoric Trump's December 18 hashish order directed then-Lawyer Common Pam Bondi to finish Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) rulemaking "in probably the most expeditious method," shifting medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. The April 18 psychedelics order moved sooner: Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary introduced three Commissioner's Nationwide Precedence Vouchers would go to "serotonin 2a agonists"—psilocybin and LSD derivatives—the next week. Shares in Compass Pathways, which makes artificial psilocybin, surged 42 p.c on the information.

The chief orders characterize real motion the place predecessors stalled or hesitated. Jimmy Carter tried decriminalization in 1977, and Congress killed it. Barack Obama issued the Ogden and Cole memos, deprioritizing federal hashish enforcement in state-legal jurisdictions, however stored hashish Schedule I and denied rescheduling petitions in 2011 and 2016. Joe Biden pardoned roughly 6,500 folks for easy marijuana possession and initiated rescheduling in Might 2024—however the course of stalled in administrative litigation. DEA Administrator Anne Milgram conspicuously refused to signal the Discover of Proposed Rulemaking, breaking many years of precedent. An administrative legislation choose listening to in January 2025 stayed your complete continuing one week earlier than Biden left workplace.

Trump did not ask for overview. He ordered it achieved.

Jeffrey Singer, a doctor and drug-policy analyst, advised Newsweek that Trump has genuinely moved the place others hesitated. "Nobody had moved hashish off Schedule I earlier than," Singer stated. "Biden talked about it, however Trump truly did it. The identical dynamic applies to psychedelics—progress, however nonetheless closely restricted."

<img id="11876524" alt="" caption="(L/R) FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US media personality Joe Rogan, W. Bryan Hubbard, CEO of Americans for Ibogaine, and former Navy SEAL Marcus Lutrell applaud after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on April 18, 2026. The executive order aims to further US federal medical research and clinical trials for certain psychedelic drugs.certain psychedelic drugs. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)" captionoverride="Left to right, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary; Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; podcaster Joe Rogan; W. Bryan Hubbard, CEO of Americans for Ibogaine; and former Navy SEAL Marcus Lutrell applaud after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 18. The executive order aims to further U.S. federal medical research and clinical trials for certain psychedelic drugs. (Photo by Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)" src="" sourcealt="" sources="[]" fetchpriority="auto" loading="lazy" width="7234" height="4823" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" style="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 1536px, (min-width: 768px) 768px, 100vw" srcset="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2271357254.jpg?w=640&quality=80&webp=1 640w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2271357254.jpg?w=750&quality=80&webp=1 750w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2271357254.jpg?w=1000&quality=80&webp=1 1000w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2271357254.jpg?w=1200&quality=80&webp=1 1200w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2271357254.jpg?w=1360&quality=80&webp=1 1360w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2271357254.jpg?w=1600&quality=80&webp=1 1600w" bad-src="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2271357254.jpg?w=1600&quality=80&webp=1"/> In sensible phrases, the change reclassifies marijuana from Schedule I—alongside medicine like heroin and LSD, that are thought-about to have excessive abuse potential and no accepted medical use—to Schedule III, a much less restrictive class that features ketamine and a few anabolic steroids. Schedule III medicine are thought-about to have average to low threat of dependence.

The shift additionally eases tax burdens on hashish companies. Below Schedule III, they will deduct commonplace working bills on their federal taxes—one thing presently prohibited though many function legally on the state stage.

But Singer famous the rescheduling has limits. "As soon as rescheduled, hashish merchandise nonetheless want FDA approval, which takes time and medical trials. If accepted, they're going to solely be accessible by prescription," he stated. "Evaluate that to alcohol—you do not want a prescription to purchase it, and you do not want a medical situation to justify it. Hashish ought to be handled the identical method."

The Nationwide Affiliation of Felony Protection Attorneys referred to as the hashish order "an incremental, imperfect enchancment—a small step off the cliff of merciless prohibition"—but additionally warned it is "not the lifeline for justice we desperately want."

Jeffrey Miron, a Harvard economist and longtime drug-policy researcher, advised Newsweek that the hole between coverage and rhetoric issues most. "Transferring marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III would permit docs to legally prescribe it, which is not presently allowed," Miron stated. "That may be a internet constructive, although it would not absolutely convey the market above floor underneath federal legislation."

The psychedelics order moved with even better velocity and symbolism. On the identical day Trump signed the April government order, Makary introduced that three corporations would obtain Commissioner's Nationwide Precedence Vouchers—an expedited overview monitor that collapses the same old FDA timeline from months to weeks. The vouchers went to 2 corporations learning psilocybin for treatment-resistant despair and one learning methylone, a compound associated to MDMA, for post-traumatic stress dysfunction.

Medicines and Navy Strikes However the identical administration that signed these orders has concurrently dismantled the infrastructure that treats dependancy.

In July 2025, Trump signed an government order barring federal grants for harm-reduction packages—syringe providers, naloxone (the overdose reversal drug) and safer smoking kits designed to scale back an infection and overdose threat amongst energetic customers. SAMHSA, the federal substance abuse company, misplaced roughly half its employees. The Nationwide Survey on Drug Use and Well being workforce was eradicated totally. In January, the Division of Well being and Human Providers terminated roughly $2 billion in SAMHSA grants earlier than reversing course after bipartisan outcry.

Concurrently, Trump designated illicit fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction—a authorized designation that triggers navy and intelligence company involvement in enforcement. He licensed navy strikes on suspected drug vessels within the Caribbean and Jap Pacific, and signed the HALT Fentanyl Act into legislation, imposing 10-year obligatory minimums for possession of 100 grams or extra.

When requested how the administration reconciles calling this probably the most open drug coverage whereas chopping harm-reduction infrastructure, Singer provided a libertarian viewpoint. "From a libertarian perspective, I do not suppose taxpayers ought to fund these packages. However the authorities should not hinder them both," he stated. "Secure consumption websites have been proven to scale back overdoses and public drug use. The very best method is to take away authorized obstacles and let personal organizations present harm-reduction providers."

<img id="11571967" alt="" caption="A screengrab from a video posted by the U.S. military, purportedly showing a strike on an alleged drug trafficking vessel in Caribbean waters on Monday, February 23, 2026." captionoverride="A screen grab from a video posted by the U.S. military, purportedly showing a strike on an alleged drug trafficking vessel in Caribbean waters on February 23." src="U.S. Southern Command/X" sourcealt="" sources="[]" fetchpriority="auto" loading="lazy" width="1200" height="759" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" style="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 1200px, (min-width: 768px) 1024px, 100vw" srcset="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-24-104045.png?w=640&quality=80&webp=1 640w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-24-104045.png?w=750&quality=80&webp=1 750w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-24-104045.png?w=1000&quality=80&webp=1 1000w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-24-104045.png?w=1200&quality=80&webp=1 1200w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-24-104045.png?w=1360&quality=80&webp=1 1360w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-24-104045.png?w=1600&quality=80&webp=1 1600w" bad-src="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Screenshot-2026-02-24-104045.png?w=1600&quality=80&webp=1"/> Maritza Perez Medina, coverage director on the Drug Coverage Alliance, characterised the contradiction as deliberate. "This administration is utilizing fentanyl as a pretext to escalate navy conflicts overseas and kill folks in international waters with none proof that these unauthorized strikes have something to do with fentanyl," she stated in an announcement to Newsweek.

"If the administration is actually involved in regards to the harms of fentanyl, they need to spend money on what works as an alternative of chopping entry to lifesaving care."

The proof on what truly saves lives tells a unique story than the orders recommend. Overdose deaths continued falling: 87,000 within the 12 months ending September 2024, the bottom since June 2020—a development that predates Trump's harm-reduction cuts and displays years of public well being investments he's now dismantling.

For Perez Medina, the administration's framing is unmistakable: medicines of therapeutic for the sick, weapons of battle for traffickers. But the collateral injury is quick and measurable.

"The administration's public well being cuts are kicking folks off their healthcare plans, gutting overdose prevention providers, closing hospitals and group well being facilities, and making dependancy therapy inaccessible and unaffordable for the typical American. The contradiction is obvious."

Kevin Sabet of Sensible Approaches to Marijuana was unsparing in his evaluation. "That is drug coverage at its worst being dictated by podcasters and energetic addicts who've an essential voting base," he stated in an announcement after the psychedelics order. "The concept that we're gonna make pot gummy bears and tremendous silver haze strains and 99% waxes which are inflicting psychosis and schizophrenia amongst youngsters schedule three now simply makes completely no sense. So, we will be combating this. This isn't over."

Dimitri Mugianis and Ross Ellenhorn, founders of Cardea, a psychedelic-assisted care group based mostly in New York, warned that Trump has "supported sweeping tax and spending laws that strips away the very types of restoration capital the analysis exhibits are important. The Republican tax and price range framework often called the 'One Large Lovely Invoice' will minimize greater than $1 trillion from federal packages together with Medicaid and meals help over the approaching decade."

Selective Permissiveness The contradiction is foundational to Trump's drug coverage: He's concurrently probably the most permissive president on some substances and probably the most militarized on others.

Singer, the libertarian doctor and drug-policy analyst, articulated the strain clearly. "He deserves credit score for rescheduling hashish to Schedule III and advancing psychedelics analysis," he advised Newsweek. "However he is additionally doubling down on the battle on medicine—taking aggressive actions like concentrating on suspected drug traffickers at sea. Historically, these instances contain interdiction, arrest, and trial. Even when individuals are responsible, the penalty is jail, not demise."

The excellence issues traditionally. Singer famous that Carter's 1977 decriminalization try and Obama's Ogden memo each represented federal retreats from enforcement. "However these have been restricted in comparison with what Trump is doing—formally rescheduling a drug and recognizing the medical potential of psychedelics," he stated. "The query is whether or not this represents a real shift or only a narrower carve-out."

<img id="10125892" alt="12_3_Medical Marijuana" caption="The highly-rated strain of medical marijuana 'Blue Dream' is displayed among others in glass jars at Los Angeles' first-ever cannabis farmer's market at the West Coast Collective medical marijuana dispensary, on the fourth of July, or Independence Day, in Los Angeles, California on July 4, 2014 where organizer's of the 3-day event plan to showcase high quality cannabis from growers and vendors throughout the state. A vendor is seen here responding to questions and offering a whiff of the strain 'Skyjack'." captionoverride="Highly rated strain of medical marijuana "Blue Dream" is displayed among others in glass jars at Los Angeles' first-ever cannabis farmers market, at the West Coast Collective medical marijuana dispensary on July 4, 2014." src="Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images" sourcealt="" sources="[]" fetchpriority="auto" loading="lazy" width="2500" height="1659" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" style="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 1536px, (min-width: 768px) 768px, 100vw" srcset="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/729716-12-3-medical-marijuana.jpg?w=640&quality=80&webp=1 640w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/729716-12-3-medical-marijuana.jpg?w=750&quality=80&webp=1 750w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/729716-12-3-medical-marijuana.jpg?w=1000&quality=80&webp=1 1000w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/729716-12-3-medical-marijuana.jpg?w=1200&quality=80&webp=1 1200w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/729716-12-3-medical-marijuana.jpg?w=1360&quality=80&webp=1 1360w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/729716-12-3-medical-marijuana.jpg?w=1600&quality=80&webp=1 1600w" bad-src="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/729716-12-3-medical-marijuana.jpg?w=1600&quality=80&webp=1"/> Trump's strikes are selective by design. Hashish and psychedelics are framed as medicines for the sick. Fentanyl stays an enemy combatant. Joe Rogan, who stood beside Trump on the April signing, texted the president about ibogaine—a drug he has repeatedly mentioned on his present. In keeping with Rogan, Trump's response was quick: "Sounds nice. Would you like FDA approval? Let's do it."

Singer defined the political calculus: "Hashish and psychedelics are seen as comparatively benign now, and psychedelics are related to treating PTSD. Trump's method displays that—he is extra open to medicine that the general public views favorably, and more durable on these it does not."

The polling knowledge backs this framing. Assist for marijuana legalization has risen from 23 p.c in 1985 to 64 p.c at present, in response to Gallup—although that represents a slight decline from 70 p.c two years earlier, pushed primarily by Republicans. For Trump, the political house to maneuver on hashish and psychedelics exists; it does not on tougher medicine.

However Singer pointed to a deeper financial logic that Trump refuses to interact. "Many so-called 'arduous medicine' are already used medically. Cocaine is Schedule II. Fentanyl and different opioids are prescribed each day," he stated. "The true hazard usually comes from the black market—unknown purity, contamination, and dosage. The stricter the enforcement, the stronger the medicine turn out to be. That is why fentanyl and even stronger synthetics have emerged. Prohibition does not eradicate demand—it simply makes provide extra harmful."

A Window to Legalization Miron, when pressed on whether or not Trump's strikes crack open the door to broader legalization, provided a measured evaluation. "None of them engaged in a full-throated protection of drug legalization," he advised Newsweek. "However what issues is execution. Trump did not ask for overview—he ordered it achieved. That is completely different."

The query now could be whether or not hashish and psychedelics turn out to be a proof of idea. If rescheduling works, if FDA approvals come by means of, the political logic shifts. Assist for marijuana legalization has risen from 23 p.c in 1985 to 64 p.c at present. That constituency is actual. Psychedelics, as soon as accepted for PTSD and despair, set up a precedent: Schedule I medicine may be protected, may be efficient, may be regulated.

But Trump's fentanyl coverage suggests the window has limits. He speaks continuously of fentanyl's evil, of navy strikes, of the border as a drug invasion. The identical logic of legalization—that folks use safer merchandise after they can receive them legally from regulated sources—applies right here too. As Miron defined, "Neither a priori reasoning nor the proof helps the view that legalization results in dramatically elevated use. It could be a lot, a lot, a lot safer use since you'll be shopping for it at your native drugstore."

<img id="10180228" alt="FE Opioids 14" caption="Officials in Mexico unloaded hundreds of pounds of fentanyl and other drugs in Tijuana in October 2022." src="Salwan Georges/The Washington Post/Getty" sourcealt="" sources="[]" fetchpriority="auto" loading="lazy" width="3464" height="2309" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" style="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 1536px, (min-width: 768px) 768px, 100vw" srcset="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2229246-fe-opioids-14.jpg?w=640&quality=80&webp=1 640w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2229246-fe-opioids-14.jpg?w=750&quality=80&webp=1 750w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2229246-fe-opioids-14.jpg?w=1000&quality=80&webp=1 1000w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2229246-fe-opioids-14.jpg?w=1200&quality=80&webp=1 1200w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2229246-fe-opioids-14.jpg?w=1360&quality=80&webp=1 1360w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2229246-fe-opioids-14.jpg?w=1600&quality=80&webp=1 1600w" bad-src="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2229246-fe-opioids-14.jpg?w=1600&quality=80&webp=1"/> Since legalizing hashish, a number of states have reported advantages together with decreased arrests, authorized aid for 1000's of individuals with excellent marijuana summonses and tens of millions in tax income reinvested into communities. Colorado collected $135 million in marijuana tax income in 2015, whereas New York anticipated to generate $161.8 million for the fiscal yr ending March 2026. In California, 60 p.c of marijuana tax income funds youth packages, a part of a promise that legalization would reinvest funds in schooling and public well being.

However Trump has refused that logic for fentanyl. The window opens selectively.

Singer articulated what advocates see as the actual alternative: "Legalization would seemingly cut back overdoses as a result of folks would have entry to regulated, identified merchandise. If a product is mislabeled, there's accountability—one thing that does not exist within the black market. The query is whether or not one success—hashish or psychedelics—creates momentum for the remainder."

The true take a look at comes later this yr. If the DEA finalizes the Schedule III hashish rule and the FDA approves not less than one psychedelic by late 2027, Trump could have opened a door that predecessors solely talked about. Whether or not that results in real drug coverage reform—or stays a slim carve-out for politically palatable substances—will depend on what comes subsequent.

However within the meantime, many like Perez Medina stay fearful about what's occurring now. "If the administration is actually involved in regards to the harms of fentanyl, they need to spend money on what works as an alternative of chopping entry to lifesaving care."