LINCOLN — Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers criticized President Donald Trump’s efforts to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana as local advocates applauded the change. Trump, via a new executive order he signed Thursday, seeks to expedite a move started under President Joe Biden to federally downgrade marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug. Schedule I drugs, such as heroin, LSD, ecstasy and peyote, are drugs the federal government has classified with a high likelihood of abuse and no currently accepted medical value.

Schedule III drugs are defined as those with moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence, such as Tylenol with codeine, ketamine, anabolic steroids and testosterone.

Trump’s order directs U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to “take all necessary steps” to complete the rulemaking process related to rescheduling marijuana and to do so in the “most expeditious manner” possible. “We will evaluate the order closely to determine how we can best continue to engage, protect the public health, and ensure the safety of our citizens,” Hilgers and seven other Republican attorneys general said in a joint statement.

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