How donors, access and polls led Trump to reclassify marijuana

President Donald Trump’s move on Thursday to sign an executive order easing federal restrictions on marijuana — and clearing the way for a Medicare CBD pilot program — caps a coordinated, years-long push by the cannabis industry that combines traditional lobbying, large-scale political donations, data-driven messaging and direct outreach to the president’s inner circle, industry insiders told CNBC.

Despite longstanding Republican opposition to loosening drug laws — including a small wave of bills from lawmakers seeking to tighten rules following the executive order — industry advocates have scored a victory. They see the order as a success in reframing marijuana not as a social problem but as a pro-business policy, ultimately winning over a president known for his sobriety.

“I have never been inundated by so many people as I have been about the reclassification of marijuana,” Trump said during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office on Thursday.

According to several insiders, three people emerged as the main architects of this policy shift, including a CEO of a New York Stock Exchange-listed cannabis company who requested anonymity to speak candidly. The main players were Howard Kessler, a billionaire from Palm Beach and a longtime friend of the president; Kim Rivers, CEO of cannabis giant Trulieve; and Tony Fabrizio, Trump’s longtime pollster, the people said.

The billionaire

US President Donald Trump shows Howard Kessler (r) an executive order that Trump signed in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on December 18, 2025.

Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images

Kessler, known for his pioneering role in affinity credit cards, has been in Trump’s orbit since at least 2005, attending Trump’s wedding to Melania Trump and appearing at Mar-a-Lago and state dinners.

Kessler, a leukemia survivor, began advocating for the medical benefits of cannabis for seniors in 2019 and founded the Commonwealth Project to advance the cause. In September, Trump posted a Commonwealth Project video on Truth Social that said CBD coverage was “the most important senior health initiative of the century.”

Other prominent members of the Trump administration pointed to Kessler’s influence on Thursday.

During the signing ceremony, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said, “Without Kessler, we would not be here today.”

“God bless you for being a bother to us,” Dr. joked. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, joins Kessler in the Oval Office. Oz added that Kessler had promised to stop calling the president on the issue after the order was signed.

Kessler did not respond to a request for comment.

The White House said Trump’s executive order would open up access to new treatments.

“The presence of several law enforcement and veterans group leaders in the Oval Office for the signing demonstrates how President Trump remains committed to supporting our nation’s heroes,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement.

The CEO of the industry

Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve, one of the largest U.S. cannabis companies, has also maintained a close relationship with the Trump administration, people familiar with the matter told CNBC, particularly through a personal connection with Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles.

Although Wiles was not a registered lobbyist for Trulieve, she previously worked at Ballard Partners, a Florida lobbying firm that represents the company.

“She [the Trump administration] I want to see safe, regulated and tested products,” Rivers said on CNBC’s “Fast Monday” Thursday night, adding that she interpreted the White House’s language as a signal that the administration intends to contain a chaotic market rather than expand it uncontrollably.

“Millions of Americans use medical cannabis,” Rivers said. “The president is making it very clear that he wants people to have access to safe, regulated and researched products in controlled environments.”

Rivers attended two pre-inauguration events, including a dinner for Vice President JD Vance, and reportedly attended a $1 million-a-plate fundraiser in August at Trump’s golf club in New Jersey, where she urged him to reclassify marijuana, the Wall Street Journal first reported.

Trulieve’s campaign spending also supported Trump. Federal Election Commission filings show Trulieve donated $750,000 to Trump’s inauguration committee and $250,000 to his super PAC MAGA Inc.

The company reportedly played a key role in securing Trump’s support for a Florida ballot initiative to legalize recreational cannabis for adults over 21. Although the initiative failed, Florida Division of Elections records show Trulieve spent more than $100 million on the election.

The pollster

The president also received data from his pollster Fabrizio, who is himself connected to the issue.

American Rights and Reform, a cannabis-backed super PAC, paid a six-figure sum to the firm led by Fabrizio to conduct a poll that showed broad voter support for redistricting, according to FEC filings.

During Thursday’s signing ceremony, Trump made several references to Fabrizio’s data, pointing to a poll released in March that showed broad voter support for easing restrictions. The data showed that young voters aged 18 to 34 made up the majority of those in favor of the reform, at about 80%.

Fabrizio’s son, AJ Fabrizio, is also a prominent figure in the cannabis industry and a CEO who said he turned to medical marijuana to treat his own epilepsy.

AJ Fabrizio founded his own cannabis extract brand called IVXX – a line of carbon dioxide extracted hash oil exclusively for Terra Tech Corp. is manufactured, a publicly traded cannabis company that owns dispensaries such as The Green Door in San Francisco and Blum in Oakland, California.

In interviews, AJ described moving from skepticism to advocacy after cannabis stopped his seizures. He has also compared the future of cannabis to “Standard Oil,” arguing in a recent podcast interview that, just as Rockefeller turned oil byproducts into a petrochemical empire, the cannabis industry is poised to revolutionize materials, medicine and nutrition.