Newsletter
Trump talks cannabis rescheduling at signing ceremony (Newsletter: December 16, 2025)
SCOTUS rejects marijuana case; DOJ: Cannabis users are “greater danger” than alcohol users; Dems push legalization; Senate marijuana banking testimony
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
President Donald Trump said he is “looking…very strongly” at rescheduling marijuana because it would lead to “tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify.”
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up a case from marijuana businesses that were attempting to challenge the constitutionality of federal prohibition.
The Department of Justice filed a brief in a Supreme Court case on marijuana consumers’ gun rights claiming that people who use cannabis and other illegal drugs “pose a greater danger than users of alcohol.”
- “Armed drug users pose ‘extraordinary’ ‘hazards,’ as ‘even a momentary lapse’ caused by their ‘impaired perception and judgment’ can result in ‘disastrous consequences.”
Key congressional Democrats are arguing that moving marijuana to Schedule III, as President Donald Trump is reportedly considering doing, doesn’t go far enough—with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) saying the president is trying to “gaslight” people into thinking he is legalizing cannabis as part of “an attempt to boost his pathetic approval ratings.”
The U.S. Senate Banking Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection will hear testimony from a former executive director of the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board on Tuesday at a hearing titled, “Ensuring Fair Access to Banking: Policy Levers and Legislative Solutions.”
The latest quarterly tracking poll from Marijuana Moment/NuggMD shows that just 6 percent of cannabis consumers approve of President Donald Trump’s cannabis actions so far—but that 51 percent would support the administration more if it actually rescheduled or legalized marijuana.
The National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association is “sounding the alarm” about reports that the Trump administration may reschedule marijuana, hosting an event this week where several GOP members of Congress are expected to raise concerns about the reform.
A new study found that a combination of CBD and THC “effectively inhibited ovarian cancer cell growth and invasion.”
/ FEDERAL
President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said he supports marijuana rescheduling.
Nebraska independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn tweeted, “I strongly agree with President Trump that marijuana should be reclassified as a Schedule III drug. This would remove government regulations that have prevented us from learning more about the drug and prevented families from getting the treatment they need.”
/ STATES
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed a cannabis cooperative agreement with the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said he is “glad” the Trump administration is reportedly moving forward with marijuana rescheduling.
South Carolina’s attorney general touted enforcement actions against distributors and wholesalers of allegedly illegal THC products that were sold openly in retail stores.
The chair of the Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee said he doesn’t think medical cannabis activists will succeed in collecting enough signatures to put a legalization initiative on the ballot.
A Kentucky senator authored an op-ed criticizing a new federal law that recriminalizes hemp THC products.
A former Guam senator raised concerns that the federal government “can use this rescheduling as a way to prevent state-licensed cannabis cultivators and dispensaries from operating without (Food and Drug Administration) and (Drug Enforcement Administration) licenses to sell a Schedule III drug.”
Nevada regulators issued a health and safety bulletin about marijuana products that were treated with an unapproved pesticide.
Kansas law enforcement officials are being sued over raids on businesses selling cannabis products.
New York regulators announced measures to support businesses transitioning to the state’s new marijuana tracking system.
Washington, D.C. officials shut down additional businesses over alleged illegal cannabis sales.
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/ LOCAL
The Los Angeles, California Police Department settled a lawsuit over a marijuana raid that destroyed an MRI machine.
/ INTERNATIONAL
The German Bundestag is scheduled to consider a bill to alter medical cannabis rules on Thursday.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study indicated that “cannabis provides temporary relief from symptoms associated” with autism spectrum disorder.
A review concluded that “marijuana use is associated with reduced oral cancer risk.”
A study of rats found that “a single treatment with a psychedelic is sufficient to elicit very long-lasting behavioral and cellular changes through enduring function plasticity rather than structural plasticity.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
Eagle Forum is urging President Donald Trump not to reschedule marijuana.
/ BUSINESS
Canopy Growth Corporation is acquiring MTL Cannabis Corp.
IM Cannabis Corp. has a new chief financial officer.
Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. declared a quarterly dividend of $1.90 per share.
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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
