Trump signs executive order reclassifying marijuana for medical use

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will sign an executive order to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III controlled substance, acknowledging its "legitimate medical uses" while stressing the move does not legalize the drug.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said: "We have people begging for me to do this. People that are in great pain."

He emphasized that the order is strictly for medical purposes, noting it "doesn't legalize marijuana in any way, shape, or form, and in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug."

"This reclassification order will make it far easier to conduct marijuana-related medical research, allowing us to study benefits, potential dangers and future treatments," Trump said in the Oval Office. "It's going to have a tremendously positive impact."

"I've always told my children: don't take drugs, no drinking, no smoking, and just stay away from drugs," he added.

"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," Trump said.

Cannabis is currently classified alongside heroin and LSD as having no accepted medical use in the US.