Recent federal action is turning up the volume on cannabis reform, but questions around timing remain. In The Pharma Letter article, “Trump Pushes Cannabis Research, but Timelines Remain Unclear,” President Trump signed an Executive Order directing federal agencies to move more quickly toward expanding cannabis research and advancing the marijuana rescheduling process. Chair of Mandelbaum Barrett PC’s Cannabis, Hemp & Psychedelics Group, Joshua S. Bauchner, weighed in on what this move really means for the industry, noting that while the order signals momentum, it does not itself change cannabis’s legal status. Instead, it instructs the Department of Justice and the DEA to accelerate the rulemaking process. This step could shorten timelines, but it still falls short of an immediate green light. In short — it’s a big signal that momentum is building, but the finish line is still ahead.
That message was echoed in Medical Economics in the article “President Trump: Let’s Get Moving on Rescheduling Marijuana for Medical Use, Research,” where Josh again urged a measured read of the headlines. As he explained, “The executive order is an order, but it does not itself reclassify or reschedule marijuana.” He noted that while the directive reflects growing federal acknowledgment of cannabis’s medical potential and could open the door to expanded research, key questions around timing and implementation remain unanswered.
As additional coverage continues to emerge, Josh is sharing further insight across multiple publications on how this federal push could impact cannabis operators, researchers, and investors, reinforcing a consistent message that movement is happening, but meaningful change will still take time and careful navigation.