Summary: President Trump’s recent signing of an executive order to reschedule cannabis is a big win for medical cannabis proponents. Rescheduling should mean good things for both patients and the industry. But how the executive order ultimately plays out remains to be seen.
Medical cannabis proponents scored a big win in late December 2025 when President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reschedule cannabis. The plant and its related drugs will be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. If you are a medical cannabis user with an active card in Utah, it’s good news. But don’t jump the gun. Rescheduling has not yet taken place.
A few things need to happen before rescheduling actually becomes a reality. And when it does, it remains to be seen how immediate its impacts will be on the medical cannabis community. Rescheduling should ultimately be good for patients, the medical cannabis industry, and the nation as a whole. But we still need to wait to see how things play out.
The DEA’s Role in Rescheduling
One of the first things to note is that, in this case, the Executive Order does not carry the force of law. The president’s order only directed the DOJ and DEA to complete a rescheduling process that actually began under the previous administration. So before cannabis is actually rescheduled, the two agencies must formalize a rule and add it to the federal code.
Technically, the rule has already been written and put out for public comment. That was done under the Biden administration. But the rule got bogged down in administrative court in early 2025. That is where it sits right now. Under the new Executive Order, the DOJ and DEA are compelled to hasten the administrative process and get the rule implemented as quickly as possible.
How quickly will they move? That remains to be seen. The DEA has historically been reluctant to do anything with cannabis. While it is possible that the department will go ahead and quickly implement the president’s wishes, it is equally possible that department leaders will continue to stall in hopes of outlasting Trump’s presidency.
Rescheduling and Cannabis Research
Assume the DOJ and DEA drop their resistance and implement the final rule developed in 2023. What then? Rescheduling will likely have a minimal impact on Utah patients with medical cannabis cards – at least in the short term. Rescheduling will not immediately change how states control medical cannabis within their borders.
Perhaps the most significant change, and the one most patients would notice, is an uptick in medical cannabis research. According to Utah senator Evan Vickers (R), who recently gave his thoughts on the matter during a 2KUTV interview, all cannabis research is currently restricted to Class I labs under federal law. There are not a whole lot of those labs around the country.
In addition, researchers must procure their cannabis from a federally approved source. The restrictions on research are so tight that not many scientists and medical researchers want to get involved. Rescheduling changes that.
Moving cannabis to Schedule III makes research a whole lot easier. As such, it is highly likely that Big Pharma will ultimately get involved. It is reasonable to assume that at least a few pharmaceutical firms will start competing to see who can get to market with an FDA-approved cannabis drug first.
Rescheduling Will Not Fully Legalize Cannabis
Medical cannabis card holders should be aware that moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III does not fully legalize it. Rescheduling loosens the restrictions on cannabis, but it will still be considered a controlled substance under federal jurisdiction. The big question is how re-scheduling will affect state cannabis laws.
Utah is pretty restrictive with medical cannabis. There is no reason to believe that this will not continue. But the ability to do more research, transport cannabis across date lines, and present new cannabis-based drugs to the FDA for approval might ultimately force lawmakers to rethink how cannabis is administered in the Beehive State.
It is not hard to envision a system similar to how other prescription drugs are controlled at the state level. But it’s also easy to imagine a system in which cannabis is regulated more like alcohol. It is too early to tell which way it will go.
Banking and Tax Issues
From a business perspective, rescheduling should eliminate the problem cannabis businesses currently have with banking. Because cannabis is still on Schedule I, banks cannot do business with cannabis growers, processors, and pharmacies without facing federal backlash. So cannabis businesses essentially have no access to retail banking services. That should no longer be an issue once rescheduling takes place.
More importantly, rescheduling should give cannabis companies the opportunity to write off their business expenses like their counterparts in nearly every other industry. That effectively means they will pay lower taxes. Instead of paying taxes on total revenue, they would only pay taxes on their profits.
Could that mean lower prices at the pharmacy? Potentially. Lower taxes would definitely give business owners an opportunity to invest more of their revenues in their own companies.
Accepted Medical Uses for Cannabis
Most of what rescheduling implies appears to be good for medical cannabis patients in Utah and across the country. But there is some bad news as well. With increased research, scientists might discover that some of the conditions now accepted as appropriate for medical cannabis treatment should be removed from state qualifying conditions lists.
In other words, more thorough research might conclude that cannabis doesn’t really help a particular condition found on many state lists. If that were the case and the condition were removed, patients using medical cannabis to treat for that condition could be left in a lurch.
Still Too Early to Tell
The president’s signing of an Executive Order to reschedule cannabis is seen as positive news, both here in Utah and elsewhere. But it’s still too early to tell what the ultimate results will be. As a patient with an active Utah medical cannabis card, keep your eyes on the news. Pay attention to the developments. In the meantime, patients looking to get their first cards are invited to contact us here at BeehiveMed. We can help you get yours.
FAQs
Has cannabis now been officially rescheduled?
The executive order did not reschedule cannabis on its own. It merely directed the DOJ and DEA to complete a rule-making process that began in 2023.
How long before the process is complete?
It is impossible to set a date for process completion. Rescheduling could take place in the coming months or still be a year or so down the road.
When rescheduling occurs, will cannabis be fully legal?
No. Moving cannabis to Schedule III maintains its status as a controlled substance. Rescheduling only loosens some of the restrictions on cannabis.
Will rescheduling impact my medical cannabis card?
Rescheduling should have no impact on your medical cannabis card and its validity. Everything involving your card should remain the same.
Will we see new cannabis drugs as a result of rescheduling?
It is likely that pharmaceutical companies will begin developing prescription cannabis drugs as a result of rescheduling. Will have to wait and see what they come up with.
