GreenState regularly shares contributor perspectives on the industry and trends. The cannabis rescheduling ideas expressed here are wholly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of GreenState’s newsroom.
When I heard about President Trump’s executive order directing the federal government to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, my first reaction wasn’t celebration. It was gratitude, paired with cautious optimism.
This is a meaningful step forward. But it’s still just that, a step.
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For those of us who have spent years building businesses under a patchwork of regulations, high taxes, and lingering stigma, moments like this matter. At the same time, experience teaches you not to get ahead of reality. There are still many procedural steps ahead before any of this becomes official policy, and how it’s implemented will matter just as much as the announcement itself.
From where I sit, as the owner of a family-owned, self-funded dispensary in Arizona, the potential impact is real, especially when it comes to federal tax relief under 280E. For years, marijuana operators have paid higher taxes with a designation of selling something with no accepted medical value. That reality has limited our ability to reinvest in our businesses, our employees, and our communities.
If marijuana is ultimately moved to Schedule III, relief from 280E could be transformative for independent operators. For businesses like mine, that relief doesn’t mean windfalls. It means breathing room. It means upgrading systems, paying people more, expanding benefits, and reinvesting locally instead of watching revenue disappear into a tax structure that never reflected the reality of what we do.
Many large multi-state operators have resources to absorb inefficiencies. Family-owned dispensaries often do not. That’s why this moment matters so much for small and mid-sized businesses trying to stay independent while operating responsibly.
Beyond taxes, rescheduling matters because of what it signals: federal acknowledgment that marijuana has medical value.
I’ve seen that reality firsthand. Long before adult-use legalization, my work in cannabis was rooted in helping patients, including my own family, find alternatives to pharmaceuticals. I still own and operate a medical marijuana card service in Arizona, and I’ve watched patients navigate pain, anxiety, and chronic conditions with limited options and a lot of unanswered questions.
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Schedule III won’t suddenly unlock every door, but it does make room for more legitimate medical research. That matters. More research means better understanding, better products, and better guidance for patients and providers alike. It moves marijuana further out of the shadows and closer to being treated like the therapeutic option many people already rely on.
This shift also helps chip away at decades of stigma. Marijuana has lived for too long in a space defined by fear rather than facts. While rescheduling alone won’t change public perception overnight, federal recognition of medical benefits carries cultural weight. It changes conversations in families, in healthcare settings, and in communities that are still learning what cannabis is and isn’t.
At the same time, it’s important to be honest about what this moment does not do. It doesn’t simplify regulation overnight. It doesn’t eliminate the need for thoughtful oversight. And it doesn’t remove the responsibility operators have to run ethical, compliant businesses that put people first.
Those of us who have been in this industry for over a decade know that progress comes incrementally. We’ve learned patience, resilience, and how to adapt without losing our values. This executive order feels like recognition of work that many operators, advocates, and patients have been doing quietly for years.
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I’m hopeful, but I’m also grounded. The real work begins after the headlines fade, through rulemaking, timelines, and follow-through. If done thoughtfully, rescheduling can create space for innovation, improve patient access, and give independent operators a fairer chance to succeed.
For now, I’m choosing gratitude. Gratitude for progress. Gratitude for the possibility of change. And gratitude for the opportunity to keep building an industry that serves people while this next chapter takes shape.
*This article was submitted by an unpaid guest contributor. The opinions or statements within do not necessarily reflect those of GreenState or HNP. The author is solely responsible for the content.