President Donald Trump Reclassifies Marijuana, Order Has No Impact on Casinos
Posted on: December 18, 2025, 03:43h.
Last updated on: December 18, 2025, 03:43h.
- President Trump has ordered that marijuana be reclassified
- As a Schedule III drug, federal funds can support cannabis research
On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing Attorney General Pam Bondi and the US Drug Enforcement Administration to “take all necessary steps … in the most expeditious manner” to reclassify marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
Seeking to expand research into medical marijuana and cannabidiol (CBD), Trump said the reclassifying of cannabis from a Schedule 1 narcotic in the CSA to a Schedule 3 was necessary and long overdue. The federal government considers Schedule 1 drugs as having no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule 1 drugs include heroin, LSD, and ecstasy.
Schedule III drugs include common medications that have a medically accepted use in the United States and a potential for moderate or low physical dependence.
We have people begging for me to do this. People who are in great pain,” Trump said inside the Oval Office while signing the executive order.
The president said polls suggest more than eight in 10 US voters support marijuana being reclassified to allow for federal funding into how the plant might additionally help patients with certain diseases, including chronic ailments and terminal illnesses.
Casinos Unimpacted
Trump clarified that his executive order does not legalize marijuana “in any way, shape, or form,” and does not sanction its use as a recreational drug.
“Just as the prescription painkillers may have legitimate uses, they can also do irreversible damage,” the president continued, saying marijuana can “wreck lives” if abused. He said he’s always told his kids not to do drugs or drink alcohol.
Trump’s executive order also does not change casino policies regarding on-site consumption or possession. As long as marijuana remains a federally controlled substance, even as a Schedule III drug, that won’t change. That’s because casinos, both commercial and tribal, must abide by all federal laws to maintain their gaming licenses.
Most state cannabis laws, recreationally and medicinally, additionally require consumption only within private residences. Smoking or using marijuana in most public places, with state-licensed consumption lounges in some states being exceptions, is generally illegal.
Las Vegas Weed
Nevada’s marijuana law requires dispensaries to be at least 1,500 feet from any unrestricted gaming license, aka a casino. The condition means you won’t find a legal marijuana dispensary on the Las Vegas Strip.
The storefronts that litter the Strip and downtown Las Vegas’ retail malls, advertising a marijuana leaf, sell CBD products with less than 0.3% THC, the psychoactive ingredient in the marijuana plant that gets users “high” or “stoned.” Visitors and residents, however, can make a short walk or cab ride to one of the many legal marijuana dispensaries.
While a person vaping THC or smoking a joint on the Strip rarely faces legal consequences, lighting up inside a casino will often result in a quick escort off the property.
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