Trump signs executive order fast-tracking reclassification of marijuana

The order does not legalize marijuana, but reclassification would allow the FDA to study it for medical purposes.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to fast-track the reclassification of cannabis, which would pave the way for the Food and Drug Administration to study its medicinal uses.

"It is the policy of my Administration to increase medical marijuana and CBD research to better inform patients and doctors. It is critical to close the gap between current medical marijuana and CBD use and medical knowledge of risks and benefits," the order says.

Trump said before he signed the directive in the Oval Office that it is "really something having to do with common sense."

The order does not make cannabis legal nationwide, he said.

"It doesn’t legalize marijuana in any way, shape or form or and in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug," he said, adding that the order is aimed at helping people struggling with chronic pain.