The US cannabis rescheduling project, which has been stuck in limbo since being ‘temporarily’ shelved six months ago, is now facing another existential threat from the government’s wide reaching budget.
On Tuesday (July 15), the House Appropriations Committee voted (9-6) to pass the ‘Fiscal Year 2026 bill for the Commerce, Justice, Science’ bill, containing language which would specifically prevent any funding being allocated to the rescheduling process.
As a preface, in Section 531 of the Committee’s bill, it recognises the ongoing tension between Federal and State law regarding cannabis, stating: “The Committee notes that marijuana remains a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), despite 38 states and the District of Columbia allowing for comprehensive public medical marijuana programs.”
This is especially relevant for the rescheduling process, as its current status as a Schedule I substance means that, by definition, it has no medical use.
Following an acknowledgement of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) ongoing review of the 2023 recommendation to reschedule cannabis to Schedule III, the committee ‘strongly encourages DEA to expeditiously complete its review and issue a final determination in a timely manner.’
It continued: “The Committee also directs DEA to provide a briefing to the Committee no later than 60 days after the enactment of this Act on the status of its review and the projected timeline for a final determination.”
This is again particularly relevant to the current situation, given that last week the DEA issued an update confirming that the ‘interlocutory appeal to the Acting Administrator regarding their Motion to Reconsider remains pending with the Acting Administrator’, and that no briefing schedule has been set’. In essence, nothing has happened in six months.
Despite these recommendations to accelerate the process, a later section of the bill could hammer the final nail into rescheduling’s coffin.
Section 607 explicitly blocks the use of any funds from this appropriations bill to reschedule or deschedule cannabis, regardless of HHS recommendations or DEA review.
It reads: “None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to reschedule marijuana (as such term is defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802)) or to remove marijuana from the schedules established under section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812).”
Conversely, according to a report from the Marijuana Herald, President Donald Trump said during a recent private meeting last week with two members of the US House of Representatives: “We’ll be moving forward soon with rescheduling marijuana”.
The publication said that it was able to confirm the source of this information was a staffer for a member of congress, but it was unable to verify the claims beyond this.
In June, a separate House Appropriations Committee bill, the’ Fiscal Year 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, was passed through the subcommittee, similarly taking aim at the rescheduling process.
Lawmakers asked the Department of Health and Human Services’ Inspector General to examine potential deviations from established drug scheduling standards in the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) 2023 review of cannabis, which recommended moving it from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.
With the Commerce, Justice and Science bill now waved through the subcommittee, it will now go to a Full House Committee for review, before advancing to the House and Senate Floor debates.
The post GOP Aims to Put Final Nail in the Coffin of Cannabis Rescheduling as Budget Bill Blocks Funding for Reform appeared first on Business of Cannabis.
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On Tuesday (July 15), the House Appropriations Committee voted (9-6) to pass the ‘Fiscal Year 2026 bill for the Commerce, Justice, Science’ bill, containing language which would specifically prevent any funding being allocated to the rescheduling process.
As a preface, in Section 531 of the Committee’s bill, it recognises the ongoing tension between Federal and State law regarding cannabis, stating: “The Committee notes that marijuana remains a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), despite 38 states and the District of Columbia allowing for comprehensive public medical marijuana programs.”
This is especially relevant for the rescheduling process, as its current status as a Schedule I substance means that, by definition, it has no medical use.
Following an acknowledgement of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) ongoing review of the 2023 recommendation to reschedule cannabis to Schedule III, the committee ‘strongly encourages DEA to expeditiously complete its review and issue a final determination in a timely manner.’
It continued: “The Committee also directs DEA to provide a briefing to the Committee no later than 60 days after the enactment of this Act on the status of its review and the projected timeline for a final determination.”
This is again particularly relevant to the current situation, given that last week the DEA issued an update confirming that the ‘interlocutory appeal to the Acting Administrator regarding their Motion to Reconsider remains pending with the Acting Administrator’, and that no briefing schedule has been set’. In essence, nothing has happened in six months.
Despite these recommendations to accelerate the process, a later section of the bill could hammer the final nail into rescheduling’s coffin.
Section 607 explicitly blocks the use of any funds from this appropriations bill to reschedule or deschedule cannabis, regardless of HHS recommendations or DEA review.
It reads: “None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to reschedule marijuana (as such term is defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802)) or to remove marijuana from the schedules established under section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812).”
Conversely, according to a report from the Marijuana Herald, President Donald Trump said during a recent private meeting last week with two members of the US House of Representatives: “We’ll be moving forward soon with rescheduling marijuana”.
The publication said that it was able to confirm the source of this information was a staffer for a member of congress, but it was unable to verify the claims beyond this.
In June, a separate House Appropriations Committee bill, the’ Fiscal Year 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, was passed through the subcommittee, similarly taking aim at the rescheduling process.
Lawmakers asked the Department of Health and Human Services’ Inspector General to examine potential deviations from established drug scheduling standards in the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) 2023 review of cannabis, which recommended moving it from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.
With the Commerce, Justice and Science bill now waved through the subcommittee, it will now go to a Full House Committee for review, before advancing to the House and Senate Floor debates.
The post GOP Aims to Put Final Nail in the Coffin of Cannabis Rescheduling as Budget Bill Blocks Funding for Reform appeared first on Business of Cannabis.
Continue reading...
