2025 and Beyond: Will Cannabis Be Rescheduled This Year?

Current Status

As of 2025, cannabis remains classified as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This harsh categorization is reserved for drugs deemed to have:

• A high potential for abuse,

• No currently accepted medical use,

• A lack of safety even under medical supervision.

This means cannabis is still lumped together with heroin and LSD—despite a rapidly evolving legal and scientific landscape. Many experts, like Dr. Sanjay Gupta, have openly criticized this outdated classification, with Gupta once stating, "We have been terribly and systematically misled for nearly 70 years in the United States." And I couldn’t agree more—it’s long past time for a change.

The Push for Rescheduling

The drumbeat for cannabis reform has only gotten louder entering 2025, driven by three main forces:

Increasing Acceptance

Today, 39 states have legalized cannabis for medical or recreational use. That's nearly 80% of the U.S. population living somewhere cannabis is legal in some form. Keeping it listed as a Schedule I substance feels disconnected from the reality on the ground.

Medical Research

Peer-reviewed studies continue to pile up, confirming cannabis’s potential to help with chronic pain, epilepsy, PTSD, anxiety, and more. Prestigious institutions like Harvard and Johns Hopkins are calling for easier access for research purposes. Rescheduling would open the doors wide for medical innovation.

Public Opinion

Support for legalization has never been higher. According to a Gallup poll conducted in late 2024, a record-breaking 73% of Americans support cannabis legalization. When the people speak this loudly, it's hard for policymakers to ignore.

Potential Benefits of Rescheduling

If cannabis is rescheduled—say, moved to Schedule III or lower—the ripple effects could be massive.

Easier Medical Access and Research

Rescheduling would tear down the barriers to research, allowing universities and pharmaceutical companies to properly study cannabis without jumping through endless hoops. Plus, doctors could prescribe cannabis-based treatments more freely, providing relief to millions of patients nationwide.

Economic Impact

We've already seen how cannabis legalization boosts local economies. In 2024, the U.S. cannabis market topped $35 billion in sales. With federal rescheduling, banking restrictions could ease, interstate commerce could flourish, and thousands of new jobs could be created.

Criminal Justice Reform

Perhaps most critically, rescheduling could serve as a launchpad for deeper criminal justice reforms. Over 400,000 Americans are still behind bars for cannabis offenses. Moving cannabis out of Schedule I could accelerate record expungement efforts and reduce future incarceration rates—an urgent need given the stark racial disparities that still plague the system.

Challenges and Considerations

But let's be real—rescheduling cannabis isn't as simple as flipping a switch.

Political Hurdles

Even with growing bipartisan support, cannabis reform remains a political minefield. Some lawmakers still cling to outdated stigma or fear backlash from conservative constituencies. Without unified political momentum, reform could stall.

Regulatory Overhaul

Rescheduling would demand a massive regulatory restructuring. Agencies like the FDA, DEA, and USDA would have to rethink how cannabis is grown, manufactured, tested, labeled, transported, and sold. It’s a logistical puzzle that could take years to solve.

Plus, rescheduling doesn’t automatically legalize recreational cannabis. It simply acknowledges its medical value and reduces penalties for use. Full legalization is a separate battle altogether.

Conclusion

Will 2025 be the year cannabis is finally rescheduled?

There’s no crystal ball—but if you ask me, the winds of change are definitely blowing stronger than ever. Between overwhelming public support, scientific consensus, and the growing patchwork of state-level legalization, federal rescheduling feels closer than it ever has before.

Still, the process requires political courage and careful navigation of a complex regulatory environment.

As cannabis lovers, advocates, and home chefs (hey, that's us!), it’s more important than ever to stay informed, stay vocal, and keep pushing for change.

Because when cannabis is treated with the respect it deserves, we all win.