{"id":72168,"date":"2026-01-26T08:25:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T08:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/?p=72168"},"modified":"2026-01-26T08:25:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T08:25:12","slug":"trump-eases-marijuana-regulations-amid-industry-backing-catholic-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/learn\/trump-eases-marijuana-regulations-amid-industry-backing-catholic-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump eases marijuana regulations amid industry backing, Catholic concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n President Donald Trump signed an executive order Dec. 18, 2025, that eases federal marijuana regulations amid support from the cannabis industry but opposition from some Catholic and conservative groups. \/ Credit: Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images<\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 18, 2025 \/ 17:18 pm (CNA).<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to ease federal marijuana regulations amid support from the cannabis industry but opposition from some Catholic<\/a> and conservative groups.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s Dec. 18 executive order directs the attorney general to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug as quickly as federal law allows. This process began under President Joe Biden\u2019s administration and is being continued under Trump.<\/p>\n

Schedule I, which includes marijuana, is reserved for drugs that have \u201cno currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,\u201d according to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)<\/a>. Schedule III is a lower classification, which is for drugs \u201cwith a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence\u201d and less abuse potential than Schedule I.<\/p>\n

Rescheduling marijuana does not end a federal ban on both recreational and medical use, which would still be in place. However, it would reduce criminal penalties, open the door for medical research, and potentially be a step toward further deregulation and normalization.<\/p>\n

Right now, 40 states have medical marijuana programs and 24 legalize recreational use, in contrast to the federal law.<\/p>\n

In a news conference, Trump said rescheduling marijuana will help patients who seek the drug for medical use \u201clive a far better life.\u201d He said the executive order \u201cin no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung Americans are especially at risk, so unless a drug is recommended by a doctor for medical reasons, just don\u2019t do it,\u201d the president said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, the facts compel the federal government to recognize that marijuana can be legitimate in terms of medical applications when carefully administered,\u201d he said. \u201cIn some cases, this may include the use as a substitute for addictive and potentially lethal opioid painkillers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelsey Reinhardt, president and CEO of CatholicVote, criticized the decision. The group had launched a campaign to discourage the president from rescheduling the product. <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery argument pushed by the cannabis lobby has now been exposed as false by real-world data and medical science,\u201d Reinhardt said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were told marijuana was safe, nonaddictive, and would reduce crime \u2014 none of that turned out to be true in my home state of Colorado or in other states that are now working to repeal,\u201d she said. \u201cInstead, we\u2019re seeing higher addiction rates, emergency-room spikes, impaired driving, heart risks, mental-health damage, and lasting harm to young people,\u201d Reinhardt said.<\/p>\n

Reinhardt called the executive order \u201cdisappointing\u201d and said it \u201crepeats the same reckless mistakes we made with Big Tobacco and puts ideology ahead of public health.\u201d She said CatholicVote will work with federal agencies to \u201cminimize the damage\u201d and urged Congress to take action to reverse the executive order. <\/p>\n

The Catechism of the Catholic Church does not directly mention marijuana but teaches \u201cthe use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life.\u201d It calls drug use a \u201cgrave offense\u201d with the exception of drugs used on \u201cstrictly therapeutic grounds,\u201d such as medical treatment.<\/p>\n

In spite of concerns from some Catholics, some Catholic hospitals have done research<\/a> into medical marijuana. Some of that research has looked into medical marijuana as potentially a less risky and less addictive alternative to opioids for pain management.<\/p>\n

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has not taken a position on the matter. Pope Francis said he opposed the partial legalization<\/a> of so-called \u201csoft drugs,\u201d stating in 2014 that \u201cthe problem of drug use is not solved with drugs.\u201d In June, Pope Leo XIV referred to drugs<\/a> as \u201can invisible prison\u201d and encouraged law enforcement to focus on drug traffickers instead of addicts. <\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/268569\/trump-eases-marijuana-regulations-amid-industry-backing-catholic-concerns<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Dec. 18, 2025, that eases federal marijuana regulations amid support from the cannabis industry but opposition from some Catholic and conservative groups. \/ Credit: Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 18, 2025 \/ 17:18 pm (CNA). President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to ease [\u2026]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":76092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[100],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-72168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christian-news"],"mb":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Trump-eases-marijuana-regulations-amid-industry-backing-Catholic-concerns.png?fit=2692%2C752&quality=69&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":71075,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/learn\/catholic-charities-affiliates-fear-snap-disruptions-amid-trump-administration-warning\/","url_meta":{"origin":72168,"position":0},"title":"Catholic Charities affiliates fear SNAP disruptions amid Trump administration warning","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Dezember 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Trump administration intends to cut off federal food assistance for 21 states, which has caused concern for some local Catholic Charities affiliates. \/ Credit: rblfmr\/Shutterstock Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 3, 2025 \/ 17:51 pm (CNA). President Donald Trump\u2019s administration intends to cut off federal food assistance for 21 states\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Catholic Charities affiliates fear SNAP disruptions amid Trump administration warning","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Catholic-Charities-affiliates-fear-SNAP-disruptions-amid-Trump-administration-warning.webp?fit=800%2C533&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Catholic-Charities-affiliates-fear-SNAP-disruptions-amid-Trump-administration-warning.webp?fit=800%2C533&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Catholic-Charities-affiliates-fear-SNAP-disruptions-amid-Trump-administration-warning.webp?fit=800%2C533&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Catholic-Charities-affiliates-fear-SNAP-disruptions-amid-Trump-administration-warning.webp?fit=800%2C533&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29164,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/learn\/former-catholic-relief-services-head-speaks-out-amid-funding-freeze\/","url_meta":{"origin":72168,"position":1},"title":"Former Catholic Relief Services head speaks out amid funding\u00c2\u00a0freeze","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"M\u00e4rz 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"[ad_1] Carolyn Woo, the former president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, speaks with \"EWTN News in Depth\u201d on Friday, March 14, 2025. \/ Credit: \"EWTN News in Depth\u201d Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 15, 2025 \/ 11:30 am (CNA). Former president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Carolyn Woo\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1742119285_screenshot-2025-03-15-at-6.05.12-am.png?fit=948%2C531&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1742119285_screenshot-2025-03-15-at-6.05.12-am.png?fit=948%2C531&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1742119285_screenshot-2025-03-15-at-6.05.12-am.png?fit=948%2C531&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1742119285_screenshot-2025-03-15-at-6.05.12-am.png?fit=948%2C531&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":68287,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/learn\/trump-administration-will-partially-fund-snap-as-catholic-groups-try-to-fill-gap\/","url_meta":{"origin":72168,"position":2},"title":"Trump administration will partially fund SNAP as Catholic groups try to fill gap","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Dezember 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"President Donald Trump\u2019s administration says Nov. 3, 2025, that it will partially fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits after several states sued to force a court order. \/ Credit: Jonathan Weiss\/Shutterstock Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 3, 2025 \/ 17:08 pm (CNA). President Donald Trump\u2019s administration will partially fund Supplemental\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Trump administration will partially fund SNAP as Catholic groups try to fill gap","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Trump-administration-will-partially-fund-SNAP-as-Catholic-groups-try-to-fill-gap.webp?fit=800%2C533&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Trump-administration-will-partially-fund-SNAP-as-Catholic-groups-try-to-fill-gap.webp?fit=800%2C533&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Trump-administration-will-partially-fund-SNAP-as-Catholic-groups-try-to-fill-gap.webp?fit=800%2C533&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Trump-administration-will-partially-fund-SNAP-as-Catholic-groups-try-to-fill-gap.webp?fit=800%2C533&quality=75&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":77579,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/learn\/catholics-support-for-trumps-agenda-has-not-changed-pew-report-says\/","url_meta":{"origin":72168,"position":3},"title":"Catholics\u2019 support for Trump\u2019s agenda has not changed, Pew report says","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"April 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A Pew Research Center report found that Catholics\u2019 support for President Donald Trump\u2019s agenda has not changed significantly over the past year.The analysis examined how U.S. religious groups view Trump, including his plans and policies and his ethics. It focused on Protestants, Catholics, and religiously unaffiliated adults.The report, \u201cWhite Evangelicals\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Catholics\u2019 support for Trump\u2019s agenda has not changed, Pew report says","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Catholics-support-for-Trumps-agenda-has-not-changed-Pew-report-says.png?fit=944%2C1200&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Catholics-support-for-Trumps-agenda-has-not-changed-Pew-report-says.png?fit=944%2C1200&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Catholics-support-for-Trumps-agenda-has-not-changed-Pew-report-says.png?fit=944%2C1200&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Catholics-support-for-Trumps-agenda-has-not-changed-Pew-report-says.png?fit=944%2C1200&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":71132,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/learn\/catholic-bishops-back-trumps-removal-of-gender-ideology-in-refugee-forms\/","url_meta":{"origin":72168,"position":4},"title":"Catholic bishops back Trump\u2019s removal of gender ideology in refugee forms","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Februar 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"United States Conference of Catholic Bishops headquarters in Washington, D.C. \/ Credit: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 4, 2025 \/ 15:07 pm (CNA). The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has published a public comment that supports the removal of gender ideology\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Catholic bishops back Trump\u2019s removal of gender ideology in refugee forms","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Catholic-bishops-back-Trumps-removal-of-gender-ideology-in-refugee-forms.png?fit=1200%2C335&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Catholic-bishops-back-Trumps-removal-of-gender-ideology-in-refugee-forms.png?fit=1200%2C335&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Catholic-bishops-back-Trumps-removal-of-gender-ideology-in-refugee-forms.png?fit=1200%2C335&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Catholic-bishops-back-Trumps-removal-of-gender-ideology-in-refugee-forms.png?fit=1200%2C335&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Catholic-bishops-back-Trumps-removal-of-gender-ideology-in-refugee-forms.png?fit=1200%2C335&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":71422,"url":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/learn\/trump-honors-marys-freedom-from-original-sin-in-immaculate-conception-message\/","url_meta":{"origin":72168,"position":5},"title":"Trump honors Mary\u2019s \u2018freedom from original sin\u2019 in Immaculate Conception message","author":"Christian Pure Team","date":"Februar 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on Dec. 6, 2025, in Washington, D.C. \/ Credit: Aaron Schwartz\/Getty Images Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 8, 2025 \/ 18:09 pm (CNA). President Donald Trump honored the feast of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, which appears to be the first time an American\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Christian News"","block_context":{"text":"Christian News","link":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/learn\/category\/christian-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Trump honors Mary\u2019s \u2018freedom from original sin\u2019 in Immaculate Conception message","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Trump-honors-Marys-%E2%80%98freedom-from-original-sin-in-Immaculate-Conception-message.png?fit=1200%2C335&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Trump-honors-Marys-%E2%80%98freedom-from-original-sin-in-Immaculate-Conception-message.png?fit=1200%2C335&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Trump-honors-Marys-%E2%80%98freedom-from-original-sin-in-Immaculate-Conception-message.png?fit=1200%2C335&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Trump-honors-Marys-%E2%80%98freedom-from-original-sin-in-Immaculate-Conception-message.png?fit=1200%2C335&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/christianpure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Trump-honors-Marys-%E2%80%98freedom-from-original-sin-in-Immaculate-Conception-message.png?fit=1200%2C335&quality=69&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"mfb_rest_fields":["title","jetpack_publicize_connections","jetpack_featured_media_url","jetpack-related-posts","jetpack_sharing_enabled"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72168"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christianpure.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=72168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}