Senator Says It’s ‘Extremely Concerning’ Trump Has Delayed Marijuana Rescheduling After Pledging Action Two Months Ago
Trump marijuana rescheduling delay feels like a bad bar tab at last call—promised “in weeks,” still hanging over the table while the check gets sticky. Moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III isn’t the end of prohibition, but it’s a seismic shift in federal cannabis policy. It would finally admit what patients and researchers have known for decades: medical value exists. It would lower research barriers and, crucially, unlock relief from IRS 280E, the tax anvil that’s been strapped to licensed operators for years. Think of Schedule III as the key that opens one door in a long hallway. Banking, interstate commerce, and full normalization still live behind other doors. But this one—this first click in the lock—could change cash flows, compliance strategies, and the hard numbers that make or break an honest business in the legal cannabis market.
That’s why the foot-dragging stings. One senior senator from Oregon didn’t mince words, calling the holdup deeply troubling and a continuation of the old injustices of the drug war—only with modern branding and a different soundtrack. Voters, across parties and across zip codes, are ahead of the suits on this. Majorities support rescheduling; many want legalization. The former president publicly flirted with the idea, nodded at industry banking access, and even blessed a Florida ballot push that missed the mark. Then he posted a video touting cannabis benefits for seniors, talking up the promise of Medicare-covered CBD like a late-night infomercial with real stakes. Yet when asked for a timeline on rescheduling, he left the calendar fuzzy and the room colder than it needed to be—suggesting a pledge on the trail might stay on the trail.
Meanwhile, Congress does what Congress does—circles, grumbles, and counts votes like chips at a smoky table. Republican voices split the difference: one from Montana says he’s not a fan of recreational weed but wants the SAFE/SAFER Banking fix yesterday, because leaving vaults of cash on the street is a dumb public safety policy. An Alaskan senator shrugs at rescheduling and says just pass the banking bill already. Another Republican, the one expected to quarterback the banking push this session, calls rescheduling an “important domino,” then reminds everyone there’s a government to fund, a defense bill to finish, and judges to confirm before the clock runs out in Q4. Across the rotunda, appropriators have stripped protections for cannabis banking out of spending bills, even as a bipartisan pack of state attorneys general begs Congress to move. Some longtime sponsors admit competing priorities have shoved reform to the back burner. House champions say legislation is coming—but not imminently. If you’re trying to game out whether rescheduling actually juices the vote count for a banking bill, we’ve wrestled with that exact question in Would Trump rescheduling cannabis boost reform in Congress? (Newsletter: October 20, 2025).
On the ground, in the Michigan cannabis market and beyond, the industry is tired of waiting on D.C.’s mood swings. Schedule III would be real money for compliant operators—280E relief turns red ink into black for some, expands hiring for others, and pushes R&D beyond petri dishes and wishful thinking. But none of it solves the patchwork madness. Banking remains a cliff-hanger without a statute. Insurance and payments still live in a gray fog. And in the states, policy turbulence keeps the ride bumpy. Nebraska’s advocates are already fighting proposals that would fence off medical access so tightly it chokes the program at birth—see Nebraska Medical Marijuana Supporters Slam Restrictive Rules Proposed By Governor-Appointed Panel. In the Midwest’s bellwether, lawmakers are scrambling to ease regulatory burdens while businesses absorb fresh tax pressure, a live-fire lesson in how cannabis taxation and rulemaking shape survival—more in Michigan Senators Weigh Marijuana Regulatory Reform Bills To Aid Industry Reeling From New Tax Increase. Policy reform isn’t one switch; it’s a dimmer. And right now, someone keeps playing with the lights.
There’s a surreal edge to all this. The same political universe that can’t decide whether to classify a plant as medicine or menace once anointed a cannabis “visionary” as a special envoy to a war-torn country—yes, really: Trump Taps Marijuana Industry ‘Visionary’ As Special Envoy To Iraq. It’s a reminder that the script is messy and the characters complicated. But the stakes are clean: rescheduling to Schedule III is about aligning federal policy with reality, letting legitimate businesses operate like businesses, and giving science the room to breathe. Every week of delay keeps the industry strapped to outdated laws and keeps patients, seniors, and consumers navigating a maze that could be straightened with a pen stroke and a spine. If you care about where this all leads—the economics, the equity, the culture—stay curious, stay loud, and when you’re ready to explore what’s next on your own terms, step into our world here: https://thcaorder.com/shop/.
