Marijuana is about to lose its most dangerous label in the United States, and the timing matters. President Donald J. –Trump is preparing to sign an executive order that would reclassify marijuana as less dangerous under federal law.
The move eases long-standing restrictions and opens medical research pathways that were blocked for decades. It does not legalize weed nationwide, but it resets how Washington treats cannabis. That reset now echoes across borders, including the Philippines.
Trump’s order would move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, officially recognizing medical value while keeping strict federal control.
Researchers would face fewer legal barriers. Hospitals and universities could expand trials. Drug developers could finally work within clearer rules. Trump has framed the shift around science, access, and research rather than recreational use, arguing that outdated policy has slowed medical progress.
In the Philippines, a parallel debate has already taken shape. Senator Robin Padilla has publicly cited President Trump’s hardline approach in the drug war, while separately emerging as one of the Philippine Senate’s most vocal advocates for medical cannabis reform.
He has filed resolutions pushing the Department of Health to collaborate internationally on cannabis research. He has sponsored bills that legalize medical marijuana under strict safeguards, physician controls, electronic monitoring, and limited patient access.
Padilla anchors his push on evidence. The World Health Organization recognizes cannabis for pain, nausea, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis symptoms.
Seventy countries now allow medical cannabis. Philippine regulators have already approved cannabidiol-based medicine for severe epilepsy. Doctors and patient groups argue local production could cut costs, widen access, and generate tax revenue for further research, while still punishing abuse.
This moment pulls everything together. The US signals retreat from blanket prohibition. The Philippines debates regulation, research, and enforcement at the same time.
Robin Padilla — a close personal friend of PGMN lead anchor Cj Hirro — has privately expressed interest in filming one Peanut Gallery Media episode expressing why cannabis should be decriminalized in the Philippines. Will this move by Trump expedite circumstances?
