Cannabis Rescheduling Effort Hits The Brakes
May 27, 2025Cannabis rescheduling in the U.S. remains stalled, with President Trump and his pick to lead the DEA showing no signs of prioritizing this issue. The slowdown of the effort, which began under President Biden, may be the result of internal opposition within the DEA, according to statements by former Representative Matt Gaetz. According to the New York Times, Gaetz said that there may be little interest in the issue now that President Trump is back in office, suggesting that Trump’s pivot toward legalization was more of a reelection bid and less of a serious commitment.
The rescheduling process would move cannabis from schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act to schedule III, allowing for the plant to be studied more easily and for existing businesses in medical and adult-use markets to have more financial legitimacy. The process began in earnest under President Biden before getting bogged down in bureaucratic and procedural mire. While President Trump took the same position as Biden while campaigning, the current administration has not prioritized the issue.
As it stands, the Trump administration’s proposed drug policy doesn’t mention cannabis at all. So far, the closest the administration has come to addressing rescheduling cannabis has come from its choice of leader for the DEA, Terrance Cole. During his confirmation hearing Cole told Democratic California Senator Alex Padilla that, “If confirmed, it’ll be one of my first priorities when I arrive at DEA to see where we are in the administrative process.”
When pressed, Cole would not confirm whether he would direct the DEA to support rescheduling. As previously reported, Cole is a potentially hostile choice for the cannabis industry, stating his own concerns about the safety of the drug.
While the current administration seems to have little appetite for loosening federal regulations concerning cannabis, reporting from the New York Times shows that the process may have been doomed from the start. According to Anthony Coulson, a former DEA agent, the agency was fundamentally opposed to the reschedule and did everything in its power to slow the process.
This sentiment is echoed by Rahul Gupta, Biden’s director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. He told the Times that rescheduling had to move at the slow speed of government and may have been hampered by internal opposition.
The DEA’s stance is at odds with both a large portion of voters and with its own research. During the public comment period held during rescheduling hearings, over 40,000 letters were submitted, with 70% in favor of fewer legal restrictions on cannabis, according to the Drug Policy alliance.—Shane English
Subscribe to Shanken News Daily’s Email Newsletter, delivered to your inbox each morning. You will also receive the Cannabis edition as part of your subscription.Tagged : cannabis, DEA, rescheduling
