United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to reclassify marijuana as less dangerous. In the US, drugs and other chemical substances are divided into a five-tier classification system, with Schedule I representing the most restricted tier and Schedule V the least. Marijuana was previously in the Schedule I category, where it was classed alongside potent narcotics like heroin and LSD.

With this order, it would be pushed down to Schedule III, in a class with ketamine and anabolic steroids. Trump said the change is not the legalisation of marijuana. The change will make it easier to conduct research on marijuana, as studies on Schedule III drugs require far less approval than for Schedule I substances.