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President Donald Trump had to be begged not to spill the beans about a seismic change to U.S. drug policy made this month, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal published on Saturday.
After extensive lobbying and some generous donations from major players in the marijuana industry, the president was convinced to follow through with his campaign promise to shift cannabis from a Schedule I to Schedule III substance during a meeting with Kim Rivers, the CEO of Florida-based cannabis company Trulieve, Trump confidante Howard Kessler and Florida Sheriff Gordon Smith in early December.
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Eager to share the news immediately, Trump told the people in the room he planned to announce the decision on Truth Social before an executive order was even drafted.
Smith remembered things getting heated as Oval Office insiders tried to stop their boss from blabbing, according to the Journal.
President Donald Trump pictured after signing an executive order reclassifying marijuana as a schedule III drug on December 18, 2025.Anna Moneymaker via Getty ImagesAdvertisement
“The lawyers and his staff, they started yelling, ’No sir, you can’t yet; there’s a 30-day period, it’s gotta go through this and that,” Smith recalled.“They had to stop him from
Minnesota Signs Cannabis Agreement with Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) announced Monday that the state has signed a new cannabis compact with the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians.
The agreement is the latest partnership allowing state-licensed cannabis companies to do business with tribal cannabis operations.
“This partnership opens a new outlet for state-licensed cannabis businesses to access and sell legal cannabis and honors the independence of the members of the Red Lake Band. We look forward to their cooperation in bringing more cannabis supply to the state and seeing their cannabis operations develop and thrive while respecting the Red Lake Band’s autonomy.” — OCM Executive Director Eric Taubel, in a press release
Darrell G. Seki, Sr., Chairman of the Red Lake Nation, noted in the release that the Red Lake Nation’s NativeCare dispensary was the site of the first legal sales under Minnesota’s adult-use reforms, and that its operators have since been perfecting their trade.
“The Red Lake Nation is eager to share our top-tier cannabis and cannabis products with the Minnesota market,” Seki said.
The state of Minnesota has now signed cannabis agreements with the following tribes:
Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians White
Kentucky’s First Medical Cannabis Dispensary Opens for Business
Kentucky’s first licensed dispensary is officially open to medical cannabis patients who are registered under the state program, WBKO reports.
The Post Dispensary in Beaver Dam, Kentucky, opened for business on Saturday. Patients traveled from around the state to see the opening and be among the shop’s first customers.
Products available to patients were produced by Farmtucky, which has become the state’s first licensed cultivator to bring product to market.
“It’s a milestone for the citizens of the Commonwealth and it’s really a healthy milestone. For the first time ever, the citizens have access to the medicine that they so could use.” — Post Dispensary owner Trip Hoffman, via WBKO
There are currently over 40 licensed medical cannabis retailers in the state.
“Our priority is ensuring Kentuckians suffering with serious medical conditions can have safe access to medical cannabis, as soon as possible, to get the relief they need,” Gov. Beshear said in a press release last week.
Trump May Finally Reschedule Pot, And Cannabis Insiders Have Concerns
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Donald Trump is reportedly considering easing federal restrictions on marijuana as early as Monday, and cannabis industry insiders hope he’s not just blowing smoke.
The federal government currently classifies pot as a Schedule I drug, which means it’s considered highly addictive and has no FDA-approved medical use.
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If the rumblings near the White House are true, Trump could issue an executive order that changes the wacky weed’s classification to Schedule III, a distinction given to drugs like steroids that can be accessed with a prescription.
It’s been a long time coming for the bud biz, according to Jason DeLand, co-founder and chair of Dosist, a California-based cannabis wellness brand.
“Look, this is overdue,” DeLand told HuffPost.“Schedule I is supposed to be for substances with high abuse potential and no accepted medical use. Cannabis never fit cleanly in that box, and the medical evidence base — especially around chronic pain as a potential non-opioid tool — has only grown.”
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DeLand stressed that Schedule III “is not federal legalization,” but an important step toward that possibility. “But it’s the biggest near-term lever Washington can pull to strengthen the regulated market and accelerate serious research.”
Sasha Nutgent of the New York-based Housing Works Cannabis
Report: Trump Planning to Reschedule Cannabis Via Executive Order
President Donald Trump (R) is expected to issue an executive order to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law, the Washington Post reports.
Citing six sources familiar with the issue, the Post said the president recently spoke in the Oval Office with a group of cannabis executives alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, who both support federal cannabis reforms, and that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) expressed during a mid-meeting phone call with the president his opposition to the policy change.
A White House official said Thursday after the report’s release that the president has not yet reached a final decision on the issue.
If enacted, it would be the most significant drug policy change for the U.S. since the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. The rescheduling plan was first set in motion by the Biden Administration, although the effort stalled due to DEA foot-dragging and procedural delays.
Notably, Schedule III would not make every state cannabis market federally legal — although it would alleviate a significant tax burden for cannabis companies, which are denied basic deductions due to handling a Schedule
California Judge Says Cannabis Regulators Failed to Prevent Product Diversion
A California judge has ruled that the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is failing to prevent the diversion of state-licensed cannabis into the unregulated market, according to an SF Gate report.
The ruling comes from a 2021 lawsuit filed by Catalyst Cannabis Co., a licensed California cannabis retail chain, alleging that regulatory flaws have allowed bad actors in the state to divert “untold millions of pounds” of cannabis to the illicit market — and that officials with the DCC are aware of the issue but have refused to take steps to address it.
California cannabis companies face some of the highest tax rates in the country, while the unlicensed market continues to thrive, placing pressure directly on state-licensed operators.
Judge Lee Gabriel of the Orange County Superior Court wrote in his Tuesday decision that the DCC’s digital database for tracking cannabis products “fails to comply” with state law, which charges regulators with preventing product diversion. The ruling is also a rebuke of the Newsom Administration’s efforts to curb the illegal cannabis market. The court scheduled a follow-up hearing on February 6 to discuss bringing the DCC database into compliance.
A DCC spokesperson told SF Gate that the agency is reviewing
Ohio Passes Ban on Intoxicating Hemp Products, Bill Moves to Gov. for Final Approval
The Ohio Senate on Tuesday voted along party lines 22-7 to approve a ban on intoxicating hemp products and criminalize the possession of all adult-use cannabis products obtained out of state, Dayton Daily News reports. The new law does allow intoxicating hemp-derived beverages to be sold at licensed liquor establishments until the federal ban on the products takes effect next November.
Following the vote, Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D) told reporters that the criminalization of cannabis products obtained outside of Ohio is “unnecessary.”
“This original packaging (provision) … what’s the original packaging for the marijuana you grew at home? Anyone? Do you carry the plant?” — Antonio via the Daily News
Senate President Rob McColley (R) countered that the provisions criminalizing out-of-state products are “not something that’s going to be heavily penalized.”
“But it’s something that we need to make sure that they have the tools necessary in the event that they need to be able to enforce that,” he told reporters.
The bill also creates an expungement system for individuals convicted of low-level possession prior to the state’s adult-use reforms; however, the plan requires those affected to pay a fee to have their records cleared.
The law also allows the state to immediately begin disbursing monies collected from cannabis taxes to local governments
Michigan Court Upholds New Cannabis Wholesale Tax
A Michigan State Court of Claims judge has ruled that the state’s new cannabis tax provisions can proceed despite legal challenges raised by the industry, WWMT reports.
Lawmakers approved the new 24% wholesale cannabis tax in October with the governor’s support. The Michigan Cannabis Industry Association (MICIA) later filed a lawsuit challenging the provision, which is set to take effect on January 1. The plaintiffs argued that the tax violates the state’s voter-approved cannabis legalization law because the 2018 policy — which calls for a 10% excise tax on retail sales — can only be modified by voters or a supermajority vote by lawmakers. Meanwhile, state attorneys argued that the wholesale cannabis tax is distinct from the voter-approved legalization policy and not a violation of the state’s Constitution.
In his Tuesday ruling, Court of Claims Judge Sima Patel rejected the plaintiffs’ motions for a preliminary injunction, which would have prevented the policy from taking effect.
“We don’t believe the court of claims made the right call. While we’re deeply frustrated by this ruling, I can tell you this: the fight is far from over.” — MICIA Spokesperson Rose Tantraphol,via WWMT
Lawmakers approved the wholesale cannabis tax to fund
Chicago Moves to Ban Intoxicating Hemp Product Sales
A Chicago City Council committee last week voted to advance a ban on hemp-derived THC sales within city limits, Block Club Chicago reports.
The ban would cover any products containing hemp-derived THC, and violators would face up to $5,000 in fines per offense.
The city’s License and Consumer Protection Committee advanced the measure 10-6 on Wednesday. The architect of the ban, Alderman Marty Quinn of the 13th Ward, said before the vote that hemp product retailers are “shady operations.” The ban is set to be considered by the full City Council sometime this week.
Public commentary preceded the vote, where local hemp supporters and business owners jeered the proposal, the report said. The hemp industry has also found an ally in the hospitality industry, as restaurants and bars have benefited from intoxicating hemp product offerings.
Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also opposes the ban and instead called for setting the minimum age to purchase the products to 21, creating mandatory testing and labeling standards, and creating a new hemp product tax to generate additional revenue for the city. However, the mayor dropped his plans following the Trump Administration’s decision last month to effectively kill the hemp THC industry next November.
Wisconsin Bill Seeks to Protect State’s Hemp Farmers from Federal Crackdown
A bill proposed in Wisconsin seeks to protect the state’s hemp industry from the federal crackdown on hemp-derived THC products by aligning state rules with those included in the recently passed federal spending bill, Wisconsin Public Radio reports. The bipartisan legislation imposes an age limit of 21-and-older on the sale of intoxicating hemp products, requires hemp cultivators to have their crops tested by an independent laboratory, and mandate that hemp-derived THC products be sold in child-resistant packaging.
The bill would also impose a 10 milligrams of THC limit per serving and would not allow containers with more than two servings
Jay Selthofner, owner of Heritage Hemp Farm, told WPR that the federal ban effectively leaves hemp regulation up to the states and that lawmakers are trying to protect the state’s hemp industry from the federal ban by moving state regulations from U.S. Department of Agriculture oversight to state oversight.
“Being able to run our own program protects us a lot more than not doing that and allows the state to control much more aspects of it than just relying on a federal program that could be conceived as loosely written.” — Selthofner to WPR
The proposal also