If marijuana rescheduling is finalized as President Donald Trump instructed on Thursday, the practical policy impact on the federal level will be somewhat limited, as cannabis would remain illegal. But lawmakers in states like Pennsylvania and Tennessee say the political effect could ultimately prove more impactful as they work to enact local reforms in the next year.

The executive order Trump signed directs the attorney general to complete a process to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which would let cannabis businesses take federal tax deductions and lift certain research barriers.

While it wouldn’t legitimize state marijuana programs in the eyes of the federal government, the decision by a Republican president to loosen longstanding cannabis laws and recognize its medical benefits could embolden on-the-fence legislators at the state level, who may see it as a signal that the politics of the issue are shifting and there’s a lower risk of federal enforcement action.

In Pennsylvania, for example, bipartisan lawmakers who’ve been working to enact adult-use legalization over recent sessions without success so far say Trump’s rescheduling action could grease the wheels in the new year.

“I think that having President Trump, in

The post Trump’s Marijuana Rescheduling Move Could Boost State Legalization Efforts, Lawmakers In Pennsylvania And Tennessee Say appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Norman Yousif/Courtesy photo

(This is a contributed guest column. To be considered as an MJBizDaily guest columnist, please submit your request here.)

President Donald Trump’s historic executive order Thursday expediting the reclassification of cannabis from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 is the most meaningful federal cannabis policy win – ever. It’s an acknowledgment many in this industry have long awaited: cannabis has accepted medical use and does not belong in the same category as the most dangerous narcotics.

All that said, it’s important to separate substance from symbolism. Marijuana rescheduling creates real opportunity, but it also comes with limits, responsibilities for legal operators and a reminder that there’s a longer road ahead.

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What marijuana rescheduling actually changed

Once rescheduling is finalized, federal law will no longer

The post Why marijuana rescheduling is a real shift, but not the finish line appeared first on GrowCola.com.

A GOP senator is suggesting that President Donald Trump lied when he said during a signing ceremony for a marijuana rescheduling executive order this week that he hadn’t received any calls in opposition to the reform.

During Thursday’s event, Trump noted strong public support for marijuana reform and said numerous people called him to voice support for cannabis rescheduling.

“I don’t think I received any calls on the other side of it,” he said.

That comment didn’t sit right with Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC), who says he in fact called the president to express his opposition to rescheduling marijuana just days ago.

“I called him personally Friday last week and let him know,” the senator told Punchbowl News.

Budd said he is also aware that other lawmakers had called Trump to urge him not to enact the federal reclassification of marijuana.

“I was aware of people calling him then—against rescheduling,” he said. “So I knew that my colleagues had been calling him.”

“I called him personally Friday last week and let him know. He said that others had been calling him on the issue,” Budd said in an interview. “I was aware of people calling him then —

The post Trump Lied About Not Getting Any Calls Against Marijuana Rescheduling, GOP Senator Suggests appeared first on GrowCola.com.

A coalition of Republican state attorneys general are criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to federally reschedule marijuana, saying cannabis is “properly” classified as a Schedule I drug with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

“Since before President Trump took office, many of us…have argued against the rescheduling of marijuana as a Schedule I drug,” the attorneys general of Indiana, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Wyoming said in a joint statement on Thursday. “We all believe the science surrounding marijuana—which has become only more clear in recent weeks—properly establishes it as a Schedule I drug, and we have seen firsthand the harm the drug has caused in our communities.”

The statement, led by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers (R), who has separately sought to overturn his state’s voter-approved medical cannabis law, says the “negative impacts of expanded marijuana use, especially on children and adolescents, are worrisome.”

“And the public policy challenges, such as the exponential increase in difficult-to-combat driving under the influence, are both significant and serious,” the coalition of GOP AGs said. “We have conveyed our concerns to the Administration, and we are grateful for the Administration’s good faith consideration of our views.”

“Because

The post GOP State Attorneys General Push Back On Trump’s Marijuana Move, Saying It Could Harm ‘The Safety Of Our Citizens’ appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Florida’s attorney general is asking the state Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of an initiative to legalize marijuana that activists want to put on the 2026 ballot. The court accepted the request, and has set a schedule for state officials and the cannabis campaign to file briefs next month.

Smart & Safe Florida said last month that it’s collected more than one million signatures to put the cannabis measure on the ballot, but it’s also challenged officials at the state Supreme Court level over delays the certification process, arguing that the review of the ballot content and summary should have moving forward months ago when it reached an initial signature threshold. The state then agreed to move forward with the processing.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) campaigned heavily against an earlier version of the legalization proposal, which received a majority of voters last year but not enough to meet the 60 percent threshold required to pass a constitutional amendment. Former Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) unsuccessfully contested the prior initiative in the courts.

So far, while there’s litigation surrounding certification issues—as well as a separate legal challenge over about 200,000 signatures deemed invalid by the state—the latest filings from

The post Florida Attorney General Asks Supreme Court To Review 2026 Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Marijuana can “make people feel much better” and serve as a “substitute for addictive and potentially lethal opioid painkillers,” President Donald Trump said on Thursday as he issued an executive order to federally reschedule cannabis and promote access to CBD for therapeutic purposes. He clarified, however, that he personally has no interest in using marijuana himself.

Although the president emphasized that he’s repeatedly lectured his children about abstaining from drug use, he said that “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 [of cannabis] as a substitute for addictive and potentially lethal opioid painkillers—they cause tremendous problems,” he said, surrounded by health officials, industry stakeholders and advocates. “This can do it in a much lesser way—can make people feel much better that are living through tremendous pain and problems.”

That said, Trump made clear that he has no plans to use cannabis.

“I don’t want it,” he said. “I’m not going to be taking it, but a lot of people do want it. A lot of people need it.”

Trump’s drug policy positions can be sometimes enigmatic—with a historic

The post Trump Touts Medical Marijuana As ‘Substitute For Addictive’ Opioids—But Says He Has No Interest In Using It Himself appeared first on GrowCola.com.

A GOP senator says the while a bipartisan marijuana banking bill remains stalled, with no recent discussions about advancing it as lawmakers focus on other legislative priorities, President Donald Trump’s move to reschedule cannabis could clear the path for further reform.

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), who is expected to sponsor the Secure and Fair Enforcement Regulation (SAFER) Banking Act in his chamber, told Marijuana Moment this week that there have still been “no” conversations about moving the legislation, despite previously predicting it would be taken up in the fall.

As the season comes to a close, however, Congress remains preoccupied with competing priorities such as extending health care subsidies and passing spending bills to keep the government funded.

“The line is deep in terms of getting stuff done, so that’s something we’ll think about once we get through all these things,” the senator said. But the cannabis banking bill could gain momentum under Trump’s plan to facilitate rescheduling, he added in a second interview.

The order issued on Thursday directs federal agencies to complete the process of moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and clears the way for a pilot program to

The post GOP Senator Says Marijuana Banking Bill Remains Stalled—But Trump’s Rescheduling Order Could Spur Congress To Act appeared first on GrowCola.com.

GOP lawmakers mount anti-marijuana effort; Senate amendment on hospital visits & cannabis; VA marijuana resentencing bill; MI psychedelics

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

President Donald Trump followed through with his campaign pledge to reschedule marijuana by signing an executive order directing the attorney general to complete the process initiated during the Biden administration.

House and Senate Republicans made a last-ditch attempt to convince President Donald Trump not to reschedule marijuana—sending a pair of letters that argued the move would harm public health and safety.

Lawmakers, state officials, advocates and industry stakeholders reacted to President Donald Trump’s marijuana rescheduling executive order—with many saying it’s a step in the right direction but that further reforms are still needed.

Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC)

The post Trump signs cannabis rescheduling order (Newsletter: December 19, 2025) appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Hemp-derived THC beverages could be legally sold in New Jersey liquor stores under certain restrictions if bill currently working its way through the state Legislature becomes law.

Senate Bill 4509, which passed a state Senate committee on Monday, would establish a regulatory framework for the products while repealing previous laws related to intoxicating hemp.

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If passed, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) would be required to establish a licensing process allowing liquor stores to sell hemp-derived beverages.

Business that hold wholesale or retail distribution licenses from the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control can continue to do so until the commission implements the new regulations.

Once the rules are released, manufacturers and retailers will have 120 days to comply and must

The post Bill would allow hemp THC beverages in New Jersey liquor stores appeared first on GrowCola.com.

President Donald Trump’s historic move to direct the reclassification of marijuana on Thursday has elicited a wave of positive feedback from top lawmakers, state officials, advocates and industry stakeholders—reflecting the uniquely bipartisan way cannabis reform has bridge political divides during an especially divisive time.

While several Democratic lawmakers have made clear that simply moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) does not go far enough, even some of Trump’s sharpest critics have generally agreed that the executive order directing the incremental reform is a step in the right direction.

The order directs the attorney general to complete a rescheduling process that was initiated under the Biden administration. The reclassification wouldn’t legalize marijuana, but it would loosen research restrictions, allow cannabis businesses to take federal tax deductions and symbolically recognize that the plant holds medical value—breaking from the federal government’s decades-long position that it is therapeutically ineffective with a high abuse potential.

The order also has implications for the hemp market, with a call to reevaluate how the crop is defined under a newly enacted spending bill that stakeholders say would ultimately eradicate the industry by banning most consumable cannabinoid products.

Here’s how people

The post Lawmakers, State Officials, Advocates And Industry React To Trump’s Marijuana Rescheduling Order appeared first on GrowCola.com.

President Donald Trump on Thursday dismissed the concerns of GOP lawmakers who oppose his freshly signed executive order to reschedule marijuana, pointing out that an overwhelming majority of Americans support the reform and that cannabis can help people—including his personal friends—who are suffering from serious health issues.

At a signing ceremony, the president issued an order directing the attorney general to “complete” the process of moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III in the “most expeditious manner,” while also announcing plans to make full-spectrum CBD products available to patients through their health providers that could be covered by Medicare.

After signing the order, Trump was asked about GOP opposition to the reclassification decision, which included a last-ditch push from groups of House and Senate Republicans to dissuade him from moving forward.

The president said he’d prefer to have the medical professionals in attendance at the event take that question, but emphasized that polling has found that four in five Americans are in favor of rescheduling cannabis. The reform wouldn’t legalize marijuana, but it would ease research restrictions and let marijuana businesses take federal tax deductions available to other traditional industries.

“I can only tell you that when

The post Trump Dismisses GOP Lawmakers’ Opposition To His Marijuana Rescheduling Action, Pointing To Polling And Medical Benefits appeared first on GrowCola.com.

President Donald Trump on Thursday ushered in the most momentous shift in federal marijuana policy since 1970 with an executive order reclassifying cannabis as a less dangerous drug and recognizing for the first time its medical benefits.

“I promised to be the president of common sense, and that is exactly what we are doing,” said the president, flanked by doctors and veterans advocates during an Oval Office signing ceremony.

“This is really something having to do with common sense.”

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The executive order directs the Justice Department to move marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 of the Controlled Substances Act.

Exactly when cannabis would become Schedule 3, a designation that recognizes marijuana’s medical value under federal law, was not immediately clear.

The post President Trump reschedules marijuana, moves for Medicare coverage for CBD appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Marijuana will be federally rescheduled under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Thursday.

The directive also aims to address federal hemp laws to promote access to full-spectrum CBD that could be covered under federal health insurance plans.

Months after Trump said a decision on the cannabis reform proposal was imminent, the president issued the directive for agencies to begin moving forward with the plan to transfer cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

“We have people begging for me to do this, people that are in great pain for decades,” Trump said. “This action has been requested by American patients suffering from extreme pain, incurable diseases, aggressive cancers, seizure disorders, neurological problems and more—including numerous veterans with service-related injuries and older Americans who live with chronic medical problems that severely degrade their quality of life.”

The president emphasized that his order “doesn’t legalize marijuana in any way, shape or form, and in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug.”

This marks one of the most significant developments in federal marijuana policy since its prohibition a half a century ago, with a Schedule III reclassification recognizing that marijuana has medical

The post Trump Signs Executive Order To Reclassify Marijuana By Removing It From Schedule I appeared first on GrowCola.com.

President Donald Trump will be signing an executive order on Thursday that will direct the attorney to “expedite” and “complete” the marijuana rescheduling process, throw a lifeline to the hemp industry, allow doctors to prescribe CBD products that would be eligible for Medicare coverage and more, a White House official told reporters at a readout ahead of the signing event.

Marijuana Moment wasn’t invited to attend the background briefing, but obtained the transcript of the conversation.

Many details are consistent with reporting about the plan to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), but the discussion revealed additional information about the order and how the administration is framing the reform.

The official started by emphasizing that the “common sense” administrative action is “focused on increasing medical research for medical marijuana and CBD” to “better inform patients and doctors.”

That means expediting the finalization of a rule to reschedule marijuana, they said. The move wouldn’t legalize cannabis, but it would help promote research while also letting marijuana businesses take federal tax deductions they’ve been barred from under an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E.

Here are new details about Trump’s executive order

The post Trump’s Marijuana Executive Order Details Leaked Ahead Of Announcement, Including CBD And Hemp Provisions appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Republican congressional lawmakers are making a last-ditch attempt to convince President Donald Trump not to follow through with reported plans to reschedule marijuana—with a pair of letters from House and Senate members who say the move would be a mistake.

The House letter says rescheduling cannabis would “send the wrong message to America’s children, enable drug cartels, and make our roads more dangerous.”

The representatives—led by Reps. Pete Sessions (R-TX) and Andy Harris (R-TX)—said cannabis is a “harmful drug that is worsening our nation’s addiction crisis.”

The Senate letter, organized by Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC), told Trump that moving marijuana to Schedule III would “undermine your strong efforts to Make America Great Again and to usher in America’s next economic Golden Age.”

The House members’ letter attempts to appeal to Trump by characterizing the reform as a “Biden Administration rescheduling decision,” saying that the former president’s team tried to “expand the use of an addictive drug for partisan gain.”

“Rescheduling marijuana will not make America great,” the lawmakers wrote. “You have always been a role model for America’s youth, telling young people for years that they should never do drugs. We hope that you consider the harms of marijuana rescheduling

The post GOP Lawmakers Urge Trump Not To Reschedule Marijuana In Last-Ditch Effort To Block Historic Reform appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Virginia’s Senate president pro tempore has filed a bill to provide relief for people convicted of past cannabis crimes, mandating that individuals with certain offenses automatically receive resentencing hearings and have their punishments adjusted.

The legislation is similar to proposals passed by lawmakers in recent sessions that were vetoed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). The incumbent governor, however, will be leaving office next month and will be replaced by Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D), who supports marijuana reform.

The current proposal, filed on Monday by Sen. Louise Lucas (D), would create a process by which people who are incarcerated or on community supervision for certain felony offenses involving the possession, manufacture, selling or distribution of marijuana could receive an automatic hearing to consider modification of their sentences.

The measure applies to people whose convictions are for conduct that occurred prior to July 1, 2021, when a state law legalizing personal possession and home cultivation of marijuana went into effect.

“During his term, Governor Youngkin repeatedly rejected efforts to review and modify marijuana-related sentences,” JM Pedini, development director for the advocacy group NORML and executive director for Virginia NORML, told Marijuana Moment. “We’re ready to move this issue forward under the Spanberger

The post Top Virginia Senator Files Bill To Provide Sentencing Relief For People With Marijuana Convictions appeared first on GrowCola.com.

A Republican senator has filed an amendment that would require the federal government to track the cost of hospitalization due to marijuana use.

The proposal, from Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC), would require the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to compile data on “Federal and State expenditures under the Medicaid program…that are attributable to costs incurred for providing medical assistance for inpatient hospital services, outpatient hospital services, and for services received at a hospital emergency room…related to marijuana use.”

The information would be due in the form of a report to Congress within one year of the measure being enacted, along with any recommendations for legislation and administrative action that the HHS secretary determines to be appropriate.

Legalization opponents have often claimed that cannabis drives an increase in hospital visits due to accidents and over-intoxication. Budd and other GOP senators sent a letter this week urging President Donald Trump not to follow through with plans to federally reschedule marijuana.

The senator wants to attach the measure, which he filed on Tuesday, to spending legislation that would fund parts of the federal government for Fiscal Year 2026 that is currently awaiting Senate floor action.

The full text

The post GOP Senator Wants Feds To Study Hospital Costs Caused By Marijuana Use appeared first on GrowCola.com.

“It’s not hyperbolic when I tell you that it saved her life. It definitely saved our marriage and our family.”

By Jack Gorsline, Psychedelic State(s) of America

On Tuesday, the Jackson, Michigan City Council passed a resolution to deprioritize the enforcement of laws against the purchase, cultivation and possession of certain psychedelic plants and fungi.

The 4-2 vote in support of the municipal resolution was met with cheers from a large crowd of supporters who had gathered in the council chambers. The move makes Jackson the sixth municipality in the state of Michigan to approve such a measure—joining Ann Arbor, Detroit, Hazel Park, Ferndale, Ypsilanti and Washtenaw County in doing so.

The resolution covers substances like ayahuasca, psilocybin and peyote—which are all currently prohibited at the state and federal levels. Notably, during the meeting, City Council Member Will Forgrave offered moving personal testimony, explaining that these entheogenic treatments succeeded where traditional methods failed in treating his wife’s postpartum depression.

“It’s not hyperbolic when I tell you that it saved her life,” Forgrave said. “It definitely saved our marriage and our family. It’s something that’s near and dear to my heart.”

In contrast, Council Members Arlene Robinson and Freddie Dancy voted

The post Another Michigan City Passes Psychedelics Resolution Directing Police To Deprioritize Enforcement appeared first on GrowCola.com.

The American cannabis industry continued to contract in the third quarter of 2025 thanks largely to a cultivation exodus, according to licensing data from intelligence firm CRB Monitor.

The number of active cannabis business licenses in the U.S. fell to 37,555, a 1% decline from the previous quarter, continuing a multi-year slide that began at the end of 2022.

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Over the past two years, the total number of active licenses nationwide fell by 13%.

Marijuana growers accounted for the majority of license losses during that period. Cultivation permits tumbled by 24%, or just over 5,000 licenses, since the third quarter of 2023, while retail licenses dropped by only 330.

At the same time, the prospect of future growth has weakened. Approved, pending and pre-licensing

The post Massive drop in cannabis cultivation permits behind licensing contraction appeared first on GrowCola.com.

GOP lawmaker slams rescheduling; Poll: Voters back legalization; Marijuana in public housing; ME gov candidate: don’t sign recriminalization petition

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A White House spokesperson confirmed to Marijuana Moment that President Donald Trump is “currently expected to address marijuana rescheduling” on Thursday, but added that “any details of this potential action until officially announced by the White House are speculation.”

Sources familiar with the planning said a signing ceremony is scheduled for 1:30 PM ET and that the president will be surrounded by various cannabis industry and movement stakeholders when signing the order.

President Donald Trump’s anticipated executive

The post Trump cannabis order could touch banking & CBD Medicare coverage (Newsletter: December 18, 2025) appeared first on GrowCola.com.