Recognizing cannabis’s medical value & removing outdated federal barriers blocking patient access
By Jason Vaughn
Federal marijuana policy in the United States has been broken for more than 50 years – and it started when a Democrat-controlled Congress in 1970 passed the "Controlled Substances Act" which established a system for classifying drugs into different "schedules" based on their potential for abuse and medical use. Cannabis was placed in the Schedule I classification, alongside heroin and LSD. That outdated classification ignored medical science then, and continues to harm patients today.
Conservatives are stepping forward to repair the damage.In Texas, lawmakers overwhelmingly passed HB 46 this year to expand the Compassionate Use Program, giving more patients access to cannabis-based treatments. And, the Texas GOP calls for alternative medical options because conservatives know patients deserve real choices.
Now we need leadership in Washington, D.C.
President Donald Trump has stepped up and is pledging to move marijuana to Schedule III in order to unlock medical research, honor states’ rights, and bring common‑sense reform to federal drug policy.
As he wrote on Truth Social last September:
“As President, we will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug, and work with Congress to pass common sense laws…”
Rescheduling to Schedule III would finally recognize cannabis’s medical value, remove outdated federal barriers blocking patient access, and help protect Second Amendment rights by preventing medical users from being automatically labeled as “unlawful users.” We can fix this mistake, modernize the law, and let patients, research, and Constitutional Rights guide federal policy.
President Trump and conservative leaders have the chance to clean up a Democrat-era mess – and prove that policy can change for the better.
Jason Vaughn is a political fundraiser and policy consultant with Vaughn Strategies. He previously served as Policy Director for the Texas Young Republicans organization.
