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The Trump administration’s announcement that it is moving ahead with the federal reclassification of marijuana on Thursday is generating headlines and drawing reactions from across the political spectrum. Lawmakers, advocacy groups and celebrities are weighing in-with many saying the move is long overdue, others arguing it doesn’t go far enough and some expressing concerns about what they fear will be negative consequences of the cannabis reform. Here’s what people are saying about federal marijuana rescheduling: Lawmakers And Elected Officials Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) Marijuana today is much . . .

A Tennessee lawmaker is calling on the governor and legislative leaders to convene a special session focused on legalizing medical marijuana access for patients. “For years, Tennesseans have been told to wait,” Rep. Jason Powell (D) said in a press release. “We created a commission. We studied the issue. We have heard from patients, doctors and families across this state. At some point, we have to be willing to act.” The legislature is set to adjourn for the year this week, but Powell wants Gov. Bill Lee (R) to call lawmakers back to the Capitol to create a state medical cannabis framework as . . .

U.S. joins much of the world in acknowledging medical marijuana The U.S. has joined much of the world in acknowledging medical marijuana. Let international trading begin! Effective April 22, 2026, the Attorney General “hereby order[s] that FDA-approved drug products containing marijuana, as well marijuana in any form covered by a state medical marijuana license, be placed in schedule III of the CSA.” Based on this order, the United States acknowledges medical marijuana and has a fully functioning medical marijuana program (via state licensees). The final order applies to: (a) marijuana as . . .

“Today’s order marks a historical reversal in federal cannabis policy. It validates the experiences of tens of millions of Americans, as well as those of tens of thousands of physicians, who have long recognized that cannabis possesses legitimate medical utility, as well as the legitimacy of the longstanding medical cannabis access programs available in the majority of US states.” The post Justice Department Moves to Federally Reschedule State-Approved Medical Cannabis Products appeared first on NORML.

Table of Contents Three Trends Walking Into the Same Room The Kit Is the Proof of Concept. The Platform Is the Business. The Caregiver Question That Schedule III Opens The Memorial Cultivation Digital Layer The Category Does Not Exist Yet – That Is the Point Anyone doing serious end-of-life planning faces decisions about their time, their belongings, their relationships. Some of them are now making one more: deciding what kind of memorial they want to leave, selecting a strain that represents them, and setting the whole thing in motion while they are still alive to do it. That is the actual . . .

The federal rescheduling of marijuana announced by the Justice Department on Thursday doesn’t change how the Supreme Court should decide a pending case on cannabis consumers’ gun rights, the Trump administration said in a new filing. The court heard arguments last month in the case, U.S. vs. Hemani, that was brought by a man who is challenging his conviction for unlawful possession of a gun as a person who regularly used marijuana-with several justices appearing skeptical of the federal government’s legal defense of a law banning people who use illegal drugs from having firearms. In a letter . . .

The Trump administration on Thursday moved FDA-approved marijuana products and cannabis products sold under qualifying state medical marijuana licenses from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law, while also setting a new June 29, 2026 administrative hearing to restart and expedite the broader DEA rescheduling process. The Justice Department said the immediate action is meant to support medical research and state-regulated medical programs while maintaining “strict federal controls against illicit drug trafficking.” For now, the change affects only FDA-approved marijuana products and . . .

In a move that cannabis advocates, patients, entrepreneurs and reform activists have pursued for decades, the federal government earlier today officially reclassified regulated medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act – the most important federal cannabis policy shift in modern American history and one that immediately changes both the legal language and cultural meaning surrounding cannabis in the United States. For the first time since 1970, Washington is no longer officially maintaining that licensed medical cannabis has no accepted medical . . .

The Trump administration is officially moving ahead with the federal reclassification of marijuana. More than four months after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Justice to expeditiously finish the process of moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday announced that rescheduling is finally happening. “These actions will enable more targeted, rigorous research into marijuana’s safety and efficacy, expanding patients’ access to treatments and empowering . . .

A U.S. Senate committee has scheduled a hearing for next week on a bipartisan bill to promote research into the therapeutic potential psychedelics by creating a new office in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that would advance the development innovative treatments for serious mental health conditions and assist in reviewing the scheduling status of drugs like psilocybin, ibogaine and MDMA. The legislation-titled the Veterans Health Administration Novel Therapeutics Preparedness Act-is being led by Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) and is cosponsored by Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ruben Gallego . . .

Republican lawmakers have filed amendments to sweeping agriculture legislation that would push back the scheduled federal recriminalization of hemp THC products for another year and create a framework for continued legal sales, with new restrictions and clarifications. Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a drug-weight basis were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that President Donald Trump signed during his first term in office. But late last year, Trump signed new legislation containing provisions that will redefine hemp to make it so only products with 0.4 . . .

President Donald Trump is poised to move cannabis to schedule III “soon,” Axios scooped today. In December, Trump signed an executive order to expedite the rescheduling process initiated by his predecessor President Joe Biden. Since Trump’s move the administration has been largely silent on the rescheduling process, which remains murky. Also this month, Trump moved to expedite research and access to psychedelics as treatments for mental illness. As with many . . . Log in or become a WeedWeek Member to read this article. The post Newsbrief: Rescheduling imminent, per Axios appeared first on . . .

A federal bill introduced on Monday would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to collect Medicaid spending on cannabis-related inpatient and outpatient care and emergency room visits related to cannabis use. The bill, sponsored by North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd (R), comes just weeks after the launch of a pilot program that allows Medicare providers to get reimbursed up to $500 per patient annually to discuss and provide some hemp-derived cannabis products. In a statement, Budd contends that cannabis use has “serious” health consequences and that lawmakers need “to put . . .

Past-year teen cannabis use in Minnesota dropped sharply from 2013 to 2025, according to data from the 2025 Minnesota Student Survey. Among 11th-grade students, cannabis consumption rates nearly halved from 25.2% in 2013 to 12.7% last year. Rates of use among 9th-grade students fell from 13.8% in 2013 to 4.1% in 2025, while the rate of use among 8th-graders dropped from 7% to 2.5%. In a statement, Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham noted that despite the “positive trends” regarding use rates, the survey did find that some students “are encountering cannabis at young . . .

A Democratic candidate for Iowa governor on Monday released his plan to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state. Rob Sand, who is currently the state auditor, called the proposal “a common-sense way to help close” the state’s nearly $1.4 billion budget gap. “Right now, Iowans are driving across state lines – and taking their tax dollars with them – to make these purchases. That’s revenue we’re losing that should be staying right here in Iowa. And we shouldn’t be using our tax dollars to lock people up for three hots and a cot for using cannabis in 2026. That’s why I’m announcing my plan to . . .

NJ Psychedelic Therapy Association (NJPTA) founder Denise Rue gave her perspective on the psilocybin shrooms research bill to Rutgers University New Brunswick student group RU Psyched. The NJ Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Therapy Pilot Program She explained that the Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Therapy Pilot Program was signed into law by former Governor [ . . . ] Source: NJ Psychedelic Expert Addresses Rutgers New Brunswick Student Group on Shrooms Legalization from Heady NJ

“What I experienced with ayahuasca was not an escape from grief, but a direct engagement with it . . . It was a fundamentally different process than the one I had relied on throughout my career-not control or suppression, but forgiveness, surrender and understanding.” By: Kemmi Sadler, Law Enforcement Action Partnership Life has an interesting way of opening your eyes-and your mind. Over the course of my law enforcement career, I built my identity around evidence, discipline and control. And to my surprise, it was that mindset that ultimately led me to reconsider everything I thought I knew about . . .

The Northeast cannabis market continues to mature and evolve, making industry connectivity more critical than ever. Serving as the annual epicenter for the region’s cannabis professionals, the New England Cannabis Convention (NECANN) Boston returns to the Hynes Convention Center on April 24 and 25. Since its inception in 2015, NECANN Boston has grown from a regional gathering into the undisputed must-attend B2B event for the East Coast cannabis sector. Having attended the conference last year, I can personally attest to the energy this convention provides for entrepreneurs, operators, and . . .

The next steps on the path to cannabis reform are allegedly taking shape. According to reporting by The Washington Post and Axios, the White House is directing a range of federal agencies to get ready for an “imminent” change in cannabis policy-but they stopped short of saying rescheduling was ahead. RELATED: Federal hemp ban fails to get Farm Bill lifeline According to the Post, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) plans to announce an administrative hearing on cannabis, likely around rescheduling. However, the outlet’s unnamed sources warned plans were still “in flux.” The hearing is . . .

A bill that would allow California marijuana stores to offer drive-thru windows to serve customers is advancing in the state legislature. The measure, which cleared the Assembly Business and Professions Committee in a 17-2 vote on Tuesday, says that licensed cannabis retailers and microbusinesses with storefronts can sell marijuana products “to a customer in a motor vehicle in a drive-through located on the premises.” Under AB 2697 from Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D), cannabis businesses would need approval from the local jurisdictions in which they operate in order to add the drive-thru . . .

Virginia lawmakers on Wednesday voted to reject the governor’s amendments to legislation to legalize recreational marijuana sales, risking a potential veto as the original proposal heads back to her desk for reconsideration. In a voice vote, the House of Delegates declined to consider Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s (D) suggested changes to the cannabis measure as part of a block with other legislation that the governor also proposed amendments to, effectively rejecting the suggestions. The Senate is expected to take similar action later in the day. Spanberger’s suggested changes to the cannabis . . .

The Trump administration is reportedly ready to move ahead with marijuana rescheduling. More than four months after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the attorney general to expeditiously finish the process of moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the administration may be finally prepared to move forward. Citing an administration official familiar with the matter, Axios reported that action could come as soon as Wednesday. Marijuana Moment reached out to the White House press office for more details, but a . . .

New Jersey has long been known as the Garden State. Despite it being a felony, many are still exploring cannabis gardening and home grow trends. As cannabis culture continues to evolve across the Northeast, that nickname is taking on a whole new meaning. The commercial market in NJ is booming. There are over 250 licensed [ . . . ] Source: Garden State Cannabis Gardening: Navigating Home Grow Trends from Heady NJ

A new federal proposal, the Higher Education Marijuana Research Act, would create protections for academics and universities involved in studying cannabis and remove barriers to cannabis research. The bill was introduced on Monday, April 20, by two co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Dina Titus (D-NV). The proposal would require the DEA to report on the current number and status of cannabis research licenses and to establish an Office of University Relations to support university researchers in obtaining said licenses. Additionally, higher education . . .

The Connecticut House of Representatives voted 81-63 on Monday to approve a bill removing the state’s THC cap on cannabis flower and concentrates, CT Insider reports. The proposal would also increase the THC levels allowed in infused beverages, expand the state’s medical cannabis offerings, and allow registered cannabis patients who are visiting Connecticut to acquire products through state-licensed dispensaries. The bill also changes the word “marijuana” to “cannabis” in the state statutes. Republican lawmakers led a bipartisan effort to amend the bill to remove the provisions increasing . . .