Pennsylvania lawmakers who are in favor of easing marijuana restrictions say President Trump's executive order rescheduling marijuana to a lower drug classification provides them with new optimism that the state's legislature could soon legalize recreational marijuana. 

On Thursday, Mr. Trump signed an executive order to stop classifying marijuana as a Schedule I drug.

"It's overdue," said Democratic state Rep. Emily Kinkead. "We should have rescheduled marijuana long ago."

Democratic state Rep. Dan Frankel, the chair of the House Health Committee, echoed her sentiment, adding that the executive order paves the way for a more successful potential rollout of adult-use cannabis in Pennsylvania. 

"It will bolster the existing medical marijuana marketplace," Frankel said. "I think it's going to be a significant step in the right direction to get us to a point where we're not criminalizing marijuana."

While rescheduling marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug does allow for medical research, Frankel says it does not change the fact that Pennsylvania lawmakers have to pass legislation to create a legal marketplace for adult-use cannabis. 

Both he and Kinkead have introduced separate pieces of legislation aimed at tackling it. 

"I think that having President Trump, in particular, sign this executive order really gives permission for a lot of Republican lawmakers who may have been reticent about actually admitting that they supported it some cover to be able to actually support it," Kinkead said. "I am even more optimistic than I was that we are going to get legalization of recreational cannabis done in Pennsylvania in 2026."

Kinkead's bill has a Republican co-sponsor in state Rep. Abby Major. 

"I look forward to building off the momentum of rescheduling by working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to deliver what 74% of Pennsylvanians want: adult-use cannabis," Major said.

Some federal Republican lawmakers have remained opposed to rescheduling, pointing to health concerns, worries about intoxicated driving, and worker absenteeism. The senators shared their concerns with Mr. Trump in a letter on Wednesday, asking him to leave marijuana as a Schedule I drug. 

The president made the change anyway. 

"It reflects the support that we see broadly in the nation, that overwhelmingly people support legalization of marijuana, and it is bipartisan," Kinkead said. 

Frankel said it will take time for agencies to adopt the change and for it to go into effect. 

"It's a significant step to creating an environment where people can purchase at this point medical marijuana without worrying about potential federal criminal penalties," Frankel said.

At present, only medical marijuana is legal in Pennsylvania.