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President Donald Trump signs an executive order to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug SummaryPresident Trump signed an executive order on December 18, 2025, directing agencies to expedite the rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, facilitating expanded medical research while not legalizing it nationwide. CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz announced that the CMS Innovation Center is launching models allowing millions of Medicare beneficiaries to access doctor-recommended hemp-derived CBD products at no cost starting as early as April 2026, provided products meet state and local quality/safety standards and come from legitimate sources. Patients...

President Trump on Thursday delivered the biggest federal policy win yet for marijuana reform advocates in signing a “common sense” order to no longer classify the drug as serious as heroin and LSD. The landmark action will move pot from “Schedule I,” the most restrictive Controlled Substance Act designation for drugs with a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical value, to Schedule III alongside ketamine — but the change stops short of full legalization. Trump stressed the order doesn’t sanction recreational pot smoking, but rather opens the door for medical research for patients in pain. “I promised to...

Cannabis stocks jumped on Friday as the White House prepared to significantly ease federal restrictions on marijuana. President Donald Trump is expected to issue an executive order as soon as Monday that would allow for reclassification of weed, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC. Such a move would allow cannabis companies to fall under different tax regulations and encourage investment.Cannabis stocks took a leg up in Friday’s midday trading following CNBC’s report. The Washington Post first reported on Thursday that Trump was expected to use an executive order to instruct federal agencies to reclassify marijuana as a less...

Researchers have found that cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, a vomiting condition tied to chronic cannabis use, rose sharply in US emergency departments between 2016 and 2022 and has stayed elevated. As of June 2025, nearly half of US residents live in states with legalized recreational cannabis, and policy shifts have expanded adult-use access through legalization, medical programs, and decriminalization. Among cannabis-related harms, cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) has been described as a growing concern in clinical and public health settings. CHS was first identified in 2004 in Australia and remains a syndrome with uncertain etiology. Proposed neurophysiological mechanisms include downregulation of cannabinoid...

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Justice Department proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis, but wouldn't legalize it for recreational use. The proposal would move marijuana from the “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III."... ...The proposal must be reviewed by... a potentially lengthy process... ...Schedule I put it on par, legally, with heroin, LSD, quaaludes and ecstasy, among others... Schedule III drugs — which include ketamine, anabolic steroids and some acetaminophen-codeine combinations — are still controlled substances... ...this move from Schedule I to Schedule...

After states legalize the sale of weed for recreational use, on-the-job injuries rise among younger workers, new research shows. U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics for 2006 through 2020 show that legal "recreational marijuana sales were associated with a 10% increase in workplace injuries among individuals aged 20 to 34 years," the study authors concluded. They note that prior research involving older workers did not show this effect. In fact, older workers' injury rates typically decline after recreational weed is made legal in their state, perhaps because older folk are only using their marijuana to ease pain. In contrast, the rise...

Cannabis users who contracted Covid-19 had better outcomes and reduced mortality compared to people who do not use marijuana, according to new research presented at a conference in Hawaii this week. A presentation on the study, which was conducted through a review of the medical records of more than 320,000 individuals, was delivered on Wednesday at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) in Honolulu. “Marijuana smokers had better outcomes and mortality compared to non-users,” the authors of the study wrote in their conclusion. “The beneficial effect of marijuana use may be attributed to its potential...

A 22-year-old content creator and model is getting real about withdrawal symptoms she said she’s experienced since she stopped smoking marijuana two months ago. Suede Brooks from Las Vegas made a viral TikTok on Sunday in which she claimed to have gone through a pound of weed every three months while smoking every day for nine years. “Thought I would open up a bit,” she captioned the clip, which has sparked over 2.3 million views. “For the longest time, I never thought I had a problem with it until I realized the amount of money that I was spending …...

I was surprised to learn something recently about the topic of this thread.A friend of mine reported that he tried some locally bought (at a smoke shop) delta 8 gummies. Though delta 8 is a supposedly milder form with delta 9 being the regular, stronger stuff, my friend reported to me that, after 1 gummie (100mg), he was too stoned to drive (he was at home though). This guy also said he hasn't smoked a joint in many years and never takes even over-the-counter drugs unless his doctor insists. He said he ate this gummie more as a lark than...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Marijuana will soon be legal in Missouri after voters passed Amendment 3 during Tuesday's midterm election, according to a projection from NBC News. After implementation, people in Missouri age 21 and older will be legally allowed to buy and possess up to three ounces of marijuana and grow as many as six flowering plants at home. Possession limits for medical marijuana card-holders will be even higher. The lingering question: How soon will this go into effect? Missouri, which was slow to roll our medical marijuana after its passage in 2018, has until Feb. 7 to figure...

Coming soon to a Texas town near you: a roving cannabis dispensary. The CannaBus has returned on its "Ride For Your Rights" tour, with a mission to let residents know how they can qualify for medical marijuana.

Cannabis users soon may be a majority among young adults in the District of Columbia and several pot-friendly states, a trend that points to a potential future of destigmatized marijuana across much of the nation. More than two-fifths of young men and women nationwide now use cannabis at least on occasion, according to federal data, a quotient that has risen steadily in a decade of relentless legalization. Much of the trend is driven by young women, who have all but closed a decades-long gender gap in marijuana use.

Washington (AFP) – Marijuana use by young Americans reached record levels last year and the use of hallucinogens is also on the rise, according to a new study. Forty-three percent of the 5,000 young adults between 19 and 30 years old surveyed reported past-year marijuana use in 2021, up from 34 percent in 2016 and 29 percent in 2011, the Monitoring the Future study by the University of Michigan found. Twenty-nine percent reported using marijuana in the past month in 2021, up from 21 percent in 2016 and 17 percent in 2011. Daily marijuana use rose from six percent in...

The U.S. Department of Justice told a Florida federal judge on Monday that the Sunshine State's medical marijuana patients had no Second Amendment right to possess firearms since they were breaking a federal law. The DOJ's brief was filed in response to a lawsuit brought by the commissioner of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and three Florida residents, who allege a federal rule barring medical marijuana patients from having guns is unconstitutional. In its motion to dismiss the case or secure a favorable judgment, the government countered that the policies being challenged by the lawsuit only apply...

Leaders in the Democratic Party are backing legislation to reduce carbon emissions. Some of them are also sponsoring bills that would expand the cannabis industry, ranging from the MORE Act to the Safe Banking Act and now the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act just introduced by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Co-sponsors have publicly chastised President Joe Biden for not doing enough to help in their effort. They are seemingly unaware that although today’s cannabis may seem “green” - after all, it traps carbon dioxide in organic material and generates oxygen in the process - its similarity to other...

Several minor cannabinoids contained in the cannabis plant "strongly inhibit" the activation of human immune cells that lead to chronic inflammation, according to physiologists at The Queen's Medical Center of Hawaii. The study also revealed the strongest inhibitory cannabinoid, cannabigerolic acid, disrupts a key mechanism that allows calcium ions to enter and activate immune cells. As a result, cannabigerolic acid suppresses the spread of inflammatory signals. Chronic inflammation is a biological process in which inflamed tissues release messenger molecules called cytokines. These cytokines recruit immune cells that become activated and maintain the inflammatory response. This chronic inflammation initiates or exacerbates...

Sad. 25% of male Puffers going full schizo from the Wacky Weed. Explains a lot, really.

Heavy marijuana use among youths is leading to more addiction and antisocial behavior. ... Mass shooters at Rep. Gibby Giffords’s constituent meeting in Tucson, Ariz. (2011), a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. (2012), the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. (2016), the First Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas (2017), and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. (2018), were reported to be marijuana users. It could be a coincidence, but increasing evidence suggests a connection. THC, the chemical that causes a euphoric high, interacts with the brain’s neuron receptors involved with pleasure. Marijuana nowadays on average is about four...

Bill Maher has argued Republicans could easily 'steal' the issue of federal marijuana legalization by making it an issue about freedom after Democrats inserted 'too much stuff' about racial 'equity' in the House-passed measure aimed to decriminalize pot. The comedian, argued Friday night that legalization of marijuana swings in the favor of Republicans and is 'something we ought to do.' 'Republicans are gonna steal the issue. I think eventually,' Maher told former Attorney General Eric Holder after being asked why President Joe Biden hadn't yet pushed for federal legalization of pot. 'I mean, it could be one of those freedom...

The American Trucking Association released a statement in October 2021, citing retiring driving veterans and lower wages as the partial cause for the shortage of more than 80,000 drivers. However, another cause for this shortage is being attributed to adult-use legalization and drivers testing positive for cannabis. A March 2022 U.S. Department of Transportation summary report states that as of April 1, 2022, 10,276 commercial truck drivers tested positive for THC. (Although this is a significant decrease in numbers, compared to 31,085 violations in 2021 and 29,511 violations in 2020.) Cannabis leads the data as the highest positive drug tests...