Something unusual is happening in cannabis policy right now.
Groups that almost never agree on anything are suddenly speaking the same language. Major medical organizations, Trump-aligned political operatives, and even cannabis industry advocates, all of them are applauding the same development: marijuana’s move toward Schedule III.
At first glance, it reads like progress. Maybe it is. But when institutions with very different motives celebrate the same policy shift, it’s worth slowing down and asking a simple question: what exactly are they cheering for?
A Rare Moment of Alignment
Earlier this month, the White House set in motion the process of rescheduling cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act. After decades listed in Schedule I, a category reserved for substances deemed to have no medical value (where marijuana sat alongside heroin and LSD), the plant is now on track to land in Schedule III. President Trump’s administration has formally directed the Justice Department to expedite this reclassification, and some reports suggest the change could be finalized as early as January 2026.
That momentum has drawn praise from unlikely corners. The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) welcomed the move, saying that moving cannabis to Schedule III will help “accelerate research into its medicinal applications” and potentially lead to “safer and more effective” therapies. From a medical standpoint, this reaction makes sense. Schedule I restrictions have long been a barrier to serious research on cannabis.
At the same time, a Trump-linked political group released a very different kind of endorsement. In a new ad, a conservative nonprofit tied to a pro-Trump PAC praised the rescheduling decision as a major victory, explicitly crediting Trump for “delivering again” on cannabis reform, as first reported by Marijuana Moment. The ad went so far as to claim that this move will “destroy the cartel’s illicit black …
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Author: High Times / High Times
