Federal cannabis rescheduling: what the June 29 DEA hearing means

In late April, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order moving FDA-approved marijuana products and state-licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. Adult-use (recreational) marijuana remains Schedule I federally. The DEA has set hearing proceedings for June 29, 2026, with notice of participation due by May 28, 2026 — anyone wishing to be heard, including treatment providers and state-licensed medical operators, must file before that date.

What the order does — and doesn’t

The order creates a federal registration pathway for state-licensed medical operators and meaningfully reduces their tax burden by lifting Section 280E restrictions, according to the ArentFox Schiff analysis. It does not legalize adult-use cannabis. It does not change state laws. It modestly eases research constraints on Schedule III substances, which has implications for cannabis use disorder treatment research — currently underfunded relative to disease burden. State-recreational dispensaries remain in federal legal gray; the June hearing is expected to address whether and how recreational marijuana may be folded into rescheduling later.

Why this matters for people in recovery

For someone living with cannabis use disorder, rescheduling does not change the clinical reality: CUD remains a real diagnosis affecting roughly one in three regular adult users, and there is still no FDA-approved pharmacotherapy. What rescheduling may change is the perception that “if it’s medical-grade, it’s harmless” — a framing that already drives the cannabis-perception gap in adolescent surveys. If you or someone you love is working through CUD, first-line treatment is psychotherapy — most often MET-CBT or contingency management. We track research and policy in this space; explore Rize’s cannabinoids briefings.

Crisis line for substance use: SAMHSA 1-800-662-HELP (4357), free, 24/7, confidential.

— The Rize Recovery Newsroom