{"id":90875,"date":"2026-06-04T11:29:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T17:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=90875"},"modified":"2026-06-04T11:29:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T17:29:18","slug":"marijuana-rescheduling-research-impact-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/marijuana-rescheduling-research-impact-patients\/","title":{"rendered":"What new federal marijuana guidelines mean for research and patients. The bottom line: Recreational marijuana still is not legal in the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Federal officials are reconsidering marijuana\u2019s classification, a shift that could affect research and access to medical marijuana treatments. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Marijuana rescheduling is now underway in the U.S., marking a major shift in how federal officials view medical marijuana and marijuana-derived treatments.<\/p>\n

Marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I<\/a> drug under the Controlled Substances Act since the law went into effect in 1970. That Schedule I designation for marijuana put the plant that produces psychoactive THC in the company of heroin and other Schedule I drugs, labeling them as having no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.<\/p>\n

But for years, people who use marijuana have fought the Schedule 1 classification, claiming that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and other drugs.<\/p>\n

Starting in the early 2000s, states began legalizing what they called \u201cmedical marijuana,\u201d even though federal officials still classified the drug as illegal, and few clinical trials have proven whether or not marijuana works as medicine. The lack of research about marijuana has been closely tied to its status as a Schedule 1 drug.<\/p>\n

Colorado and Washington were among the first states to allow medical marijuana, and in 2012, Colorado voters passed a ballot measure that allowed people over the age of 21 to legally purchase recreational marijuana. Recreational weed shops soon popped up along with medical marijuana sellers, and many states followed Colorado and Washington.<\/p>\n

Today, 47 states<\/a> allow medical marijuana. And some observational studies and anecdotal evidence from millions of marijuana users led to pressure on federal officials to reclassify marijuana.<\/p>\n

In 2022, the Biden Administration instructed<\/a> medical experts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Justice to reassess marijuana\u2019s Schedule I status. In August 2023, Health and Human Services officials delivered a lengthy report<\/a> to the Drug Enforcement Administration, recommending that marijuana be reclassified as a Schedule III drug, like ketamine and anabolic steroids.<\/p>\n

On Dec. 18, 2025, President Donald J. Trump ordered<\/a> Justice Department officials to change marijuana to a Schedule III drug. The order aimed to advance marijuana research. On April 23, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche immediately\u00a0reclassified<\/a>\u00a0a\u00a0handful<\/a> of U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved marijuana-derived drugs, as well as state-approved medical marijuana products, as Schedule III drugs.<\/p>\n

The 2026 federal order also launched a hearing process<\/a> related to the rescheduling of recreational marijuana, which remains on Schedule I. Those hearings are scheduled to start on June 29.<\/p>\n

What does marijuana rescheduling mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As the shift from Schedule I to Schedule III takes place, what does it mean for patients, researchers and the future of cannabis science?<\/p>\n

To learn more, we spoke with two University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine<\/a> faculty members who are doing three marijuana studies<\/a>. Emily Lindley<\/a>, is an associate professor of orthopedics with a doctorate in neurobiology. And Dr. Rachael Rzasa Lynn<\/a> is an associate professor<\/a>, who is board-certified in pain medicine and anesthesiology and cares for patients at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a> Pain Management Clinic.<\/p>\n

Why do we need research about the effects of marijuana?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Despite industry claims and anecdotal reports, there\u2019s very little high-quality evidence on how well marijuana works as medicine. That\u2019s in large part because the Schedule I status has led to huge barriers in doing gold-standard randomized controlled trials.<\/p>\n

These clinical trials typically compare what happens when one group of people takes a drug and another group of people \u2014 those in the control group \u2014 take a placebo. These trials are highly structured, closely monitored and expensive, even without the additional challenges involving a Schedule I drug.<\/p>\n

Researchers need a much better understanding of what marijuana can and can\u2019t do<\/a>, including the following:<\/strong><\/p>\n