Marijuana Saw Some Big Moments In 2025...

As 2025 comes to a close, the cannabis world is reflecting on the sometimes
dizzying series of political, legal and cultural shifts that took place
this year—and looking ahead to further developments that advocates and
industry stakeholders will be navigating in the new year.

Top of mind, of course, is President Donald Trump’s executive order this
month directing the attorney general to complete the process of moving
marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act
(CSA), marking perhaps the most significant administrative cannabis action
in U.S. history.

But from the White House to the U.S. Supreme Court to state legislatures
across the country, there were additional meaningful marijuana developments
this year. That includes the upending of key provisions of federal law that
had legalized hemp and its derivatives.

What 2026 will bring is yet to be seen. Many eyes will be focused on how
the Justice Department approaches the president’s rescheduling directive,
but some see opportunities for further reform—with optimism that there’s
momentum to see through a bipartisan banking bill, for example.

And hopes are high that additional states could legalize cannabis in
2026—though advocates are also preparing to fight prohibitionist efforts to
roll back wins that have already been achieved in other states.
*Looking back at 2025, here are the top marijuana moments:*

*Trump signs marijuana rescheduling executive order*

After campaigning on a promise to reschedule marijuana ahead of his second
term–and months of relative silence on cannabis issues after taking
office—Trump in December signed an executive order directing the attorney
general to expeditiously complete the process of moving cannabis to
Schedule III.

The reform hasn’t been finalized yet, but if it is, the policy change would
mark one of the most substantial changes to federal marijuana laws since
its prohibition over half a century ago.

Rescheduling wouldn’t legalize the plant, but it would recognize its
medical value, allow marijuana businesses to take federal tax deductions
and loosen certain research barriers.

*In addition to rescheduling, Trump administration announces policy to
expand access to CBD*

Trump’s executive order also urged Congress to examine updating the
definition of hemp to ensure that full-spectrum CBD is accessible to
patients. If lawmakers do so, it could mitigate some concerns in the sector
about a recent spending bill the president signed with provisions that
would broadly ban consumable hemp products.

A further redefinition of hemp would be part of a novel proposal to allow
Medicare recipients to access non-intoxicating CBD that’d be covered under
the federal health care plan.

*U.S. Supreme Court declines to take landmark case challenging prohibition*

Advocates and stakeholders were handed a defeat from the Supreme Court in
December after justices declined to accept a case challenging the
constitutionality of federal marijuana prohibition—an issue that even one
of the bench’s more conservative members, Justice Clarance Thomas, had
previously argued must be resolved amid the state legalization movement.

Massachusetts-based marijuana businesses had asked the court to take their
case because they argued that federal law unconstitutionally prohibits
intrastate cannabis activity, contravening the Commerce Clause.

*Justices weigh federal gun ban for marijuana consumers*

In October, meanwhile, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case on the
constitutionality of a federal law prohibiting people who use marijuana or
other drugs from buying or possessing firearms.

The Trump administration has argued that the policy “targets a category of
persons who pose a clear danger of misusing firearm” and should be upheld.

*Trump signs spending bill with hemp ban provisions*

In November, the president signed appropriations legislation that includes
provisions to ban most consumable hemp products that have proliferated
since the crop was legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that Trump signed
during his first term in office.

The hemp components won’t be implemented until one year after enactment,
however, and stakeholders and certain lawmakers say that window could
provide an opportunity to advance legislation to create an alternative
regulatory model for cannabinoid products.

*Congressional lawmakers file cannabis bills and hold hearings on various
marijuana issues*

A slew of cannabis bills were filed or refiled for the 119th Congress in
2025, including those that would federally legalize marijuana, take steps
to prepare for the eventual end of prohibition, stop the implementation of
a federal hemp THC product ban, prevent people from using federal financial
assistance at marijuana dispensaries, protect military veterans from losing
government benefits for using medical cannabis in compliance with state law
and more.

None of those measures advanced to enactment, though lawmakers did approve
amendments to a spending bill that would have authorized U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors to issue medical marijuana recommendations to
military veterans and support psychedelics research and access. Even though
versions of the veterans’ medical cannabis amendment were approved by both
the House of Representatives and Senate, the reform was stripped out of a
final spending bill sent to the president.

And while there’s been disappointment about the lack of progress on
cannabis industry banking issues, a Senate subcommittee did take up the
subject at a hearing in December that featured a former state marijuana
regulator as a witness.

*Trump administration rescinds Biden-era marijuana enforcement guidance*

The Trump administration quietly rescinded guidance implemented under
former President Joe Biden that ordered U.S. prosecutors to be “extremely
cautious” about how to handle cannabis cases.

In November, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming
disclosed that the guidance was rescinded in September, and it said cases
involving marijuana would consequently be “rigorously” enforced on federal
land.

*Federal immigration officials raid California marijuana business*

Marijuana farms operated by a major state-licensed business in California
were raided by federal officials in July. The action didn’t appear to be a
targeted effort by the federal government against the state-legal cannabis
industry specifically, as other reports indicated that Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had been involved in numerous enforcement
actions in the area at the time.

*American medical cannabis patient released from Russian prison after
possession conviction*

An American who was released from a Russian prison over marijuana
possession he obtained as a lawful medical cannabis patient in Pennsylvania
was among President Donald Trump’s invited guests at a speech before a
joint session Congress on in March.

Marc Fogel—who was serving a 14-year sentence in Russian after being
convicted of “drug smuggling” over possession of a half-ounce of cannabis
and whose release was secured as part of a prisoner swap—was in attendance
at the president’s speech on Capitol Hill.

*Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. participate in conference with psychedelics panel*

Vance, Kennedy, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty
Makary and other top Trump administration officials attended a “Make
America Healthy Again” summit that featured a session on the therapeutic
potential of psychedelics.

Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS), and Katie Miller, wife of Trump adviser Stephen Miller,
were also among those who attended the event, which was meant to broadly
showcase the MAHA agenda and areas of innovation in public health.

*State-level legalization efforts gain momentum*

Although no additional states enacted cannabis legalization laws in 2025,
reform legislation did advance—demonstrating momentum that advocates hope
to build upon in 2026.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives in March passed a bill to
legalize marijuana sales through a novel system of state-owned
dispensaries, but it was rejected in the GOP-controlled Senate.

Two Hawaii Senate panels in February approved a broad bill that would
legalize adult-use marijuana and bring together hemp and cannabis
regulation under a single state agency. Also, the full Senate gave approval
to a bill that would, among other changes, allow healthcare providers to recommend
cannabis to treat any condition they believe it would benefit.

The New Hampshire House of Representatives approved bills to legalize
marijuana, decriminalize the use and possession of psilocybin by adults and
double the amount of medical cannabis that state-registered patients can
purchase and possess.

The Virginia legislature approved legislation to legalize adult-use
cannabis sales, only to have it once again vetoed by the governor.

*Marijuana sales launch in Delaware, Minnesota and Kentucky*

Adult-use marijuana sales began in Delaware and Minnesota in 2025, while
medical cannabis dispensaries opened their doors in Kentucky.

*States impose hemp bans amid concerns over intoxicating cannabinoid
products*

As congressional lawmakers moved to recriminalize certain hemp products,
red and blue states—from Texas to Ohio to California—took steps on their
own to restrict the sale of consumable cannabinoids.

*Virginia elects pro-cannabis governor as legislative commission unveils
legalization plan*

Efforts to legalize adult-use marijuana sales in Virginia got a boost with the
election of Abigail Spanberger as the state’s next governor.

And the legislature’s Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the
Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market subsequently unveiled a
much-anticipated proposal to legalize recreational marijuana sales that it
is recommending lawmakers pass during the 2026 session.

*Florida campaign makes another run to legalize adult-use marijuana through
the ballot*

The campaign Smart & Safe Florida filed a new cannabis legalization
initiative that they hope will go before voters next November. And after
collecting what they estimated to be more than one million signatures to
secure ballot placement amid litigation, Florida’s attorney general asked
the state Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of the proposal.

*Anti-marijuana activists plot to undermine state legalization laws*

In three states—Arizona, Maine and Massachusetts—prohibitionist activists
have made moves to put initiatives on the ballot next year to roll back key
components of adult-use legalization laws, focusing largely on the
elimination of the commercial market.

*More developments arise in state-level drug policy ballot campaigns *

An Idaho campaign unveiled a since-certified initiative to put medical
marijuana legalization on the state’s 2026 ballot.

In Oregon, activists withdrew a ballot proposal to legalize marijuana
social consumption lounges.

And in Alaska, a campaign said it failed to collect enough signatures to
put an initiative to legalize certain psychedelics such as psilocybin and
DMT on the ballot next year—but activists emphasized that the “work is far
from over” as they shift focus to placing the reform measure before voters
in 2028.

*New York marks milestones in marijuana market expansion*

After a rocky rollout of the state’s adult-use marijuana law, marred by
lawsuits and regulatory complications, New York officials in November celebrated
the opening of its 500th legal cannabis dispensary—touting the fact that
there have been $2.3 billion in sales since the market launched, supporting
an estimated 25,000 jobs across the industry.

*States move forward with psychedelics reform*

Over the summer, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed into law a bill to create
a state-backed research consortium to conduct clinical trials on ibogaine
as a possible treatment for substance use disorders and other mental health
conditions.

And in Arizona, officials approved and funded a first-in-the-nation
clinical trial investigating the potential of whole mushroom psilocybin to
treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in first responders and
military veterans.

*New Jersey gubernatorial election raises hopes for reform*

New Jersey voters elected U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) to serve as the
state’s next governor, meaning there’s now a decidedly clearer path to
advancing a marijuana policy reform long awaited by consumers and advocates
in the Garden State: A home grow option.

*Target launches pilot program for hemp beverage sales*

In one of the latest examples of the normalization of cannabis in
mainstream commercial marketing, the retail giant Target soft launched
sales of THC-infused beverages at select stores in Minnesota.

*Edible Arrangements offshoot embraces the hemp industry*

The company behind Edible Arrangements is entering the cannabis market, launching
a new delivery service for hemp products. Edible Brands, best known for its
line of ornate fruit arrangements, announced in March that it was expanding
to start selling different kinds of edibles: hemp gummies, drinks and
supplements.

*Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.*

The post Marijuana Saw Some Big Moments In 2025—From Trump’s Rescheduling
Order To State Legalization Momentum appeared first on Marijuana Moment.