President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that would ease cannabis restrictions by reclassifying it with lower-risk drugs.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We live with chronic medical problems that severely degrade their quality of life. And it’s so really, I mean, just, I can’t tell you, I think I probably have received more phone calls on this, on doing what we’re doing. I don’t think I received any calls on the other side of it, but hopefully this reclassification, which by the way, polls at 82%, will help many of those patients live a far better life. We’re joined today by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is doing a fantastic job, Administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, the FDA Commissioner, Dr. Marty McCary, Director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, and the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Dr. Nora Valkow, as well as Dr. Ilana Braun from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Duke University’s Dr. David Cassaret, the National Commander of the American Legion, Dan Wiley, and my friend, Howard Kessler. Howard, how are you feeling? I’m doing great, thank you. 20 years ago, but I don’t want to go through what you went through to get there. It looks like you’re doing great. I’m proud of you. I want to emphasize that the order I am about to sign is not the legalization or – it doesn’t legalize marijuana in any way, shape, or form, and in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug. It has nothing to do with it. Just as the prescription painkillers may have legitimate uses but can also do irreversible damage and never – you know, if you look at some of the damage that can be caused, wreck lives. And if it’s abused, it’s never safe to use powerful controlled substances in recreational matters. And especially in this case, if you take a look, illegal and unregulated drugs – very, very bad thing. So I’ve always told my children, don’t take drugs, no drinking, no smoking, and just stay away from – I’ve always told my children, don’t take drugs, no drinking, no smoking, and just stay away from drugs. I have been – they would look at me and they’d say, Dad, would you stop saying that? I would say every time I looked at it practically. Young Americans are especially at risk, so unless a drug is recommended by a doctor for medical reasons, just don’t do it. At the same time, the facts compel the federal government to recognize that marijuana can be legitimate in terms of medical applications when carefully administered in some cases. This may include the use as a substitute for addictive and potentially lethal opioid painkillers. They cause tremendous problems. This can do it in a much lesser way, can make people feel much better that are living through tremendous pain and problems. Forty states and multiple U.S. territories have already recognized the use of medical marijuana. This reclassification order will make it far easier to conduct marijuana-related medical research, allowing us to study benefits, potential dangers, and future treatments. It’s going to have a tremendously positive impact, I believe. We’re also asking Congress to reconsider its classification of hemp-derived CBD to ensure seniors can access CBD products they have found beneficial for pain and other reasons. Some people are literally dying, and they’re dying with tremendous pain. And this can, in many cases, literally stop it. And they have their senses about them, as opposed to painkillers, which don’t allow that – don’t allow them to die with dignity, frankly. I promise to be the president of common sense, and that is exactly what we’re doing. This is really something having to do with common sense. And it’s something having to do with the fact that so many people that I respect ask me to do – people that are having problems, big problems. They are having big problems with illness, with cancer in particular.

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