Will Marijuana Rescheduling Truly Boost Medical Research?

President Donald Trump called for expedited rescheduling of medical marijuana in December 2025, citing the need to boost scientific research on the drug as a primary motivation. With the transition of cannabis to Schedule III now complete, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine examines whether that administrative change will achieve its intended research goals.

What Medical Marijuana Rescheduling Changes for Researchers

According to an article co-authored by Robert Mikos, the LaRoche Family Chair in Law at Vanderbilt Law School, the move to Schedule III will ease some administrative paths for scientific study. The study, titled “Marijuana Rescheduling — A Game Changer for Research?” and published in volume 395, number 8 of the New England Journal of Medicine, identifies three historical barriers that have hindered clinical investigation into cannabis.

The co-authors find that while Schedule III status mitigates two of those long-standing hurdles, it leaves the most daunting barrier completely unaddressed. Specifically, pharmaceutical firms remain reluctant to invest in clinical research for products that consumers can already obtain widely through state-licensed vendors. Because commercial drug developers typically avoid funding trials for widely available plant products, government support is essential to fill the gap.

Funding Deficits Leave Therapeutic and Safety Questions Unanswered

Government financial support for cannabis research has decreased in recent years, according to the study’s authors. Congress and executive branch allocate more funding for doing that work. Rescheduling does not provide that funding.

Robert Mikos, Rebecca L. Haffajee, and Ziva D. Public health experts and policymakers rely on these clinical insights to understand both therapeutic effects and potential medical risks.

Next Steps for Medical Cannabis Policy and Public Health

The authors conclude that until federal lawmakers address the underlying funding shortfall, clinicians and consumers will lack the definitive data necessary to evaluate medical marijuana safely. Although rescheduling removes certain regulatory roadblocks, generating meaningful clinical evidence depends on direct congressional and executive appropriations.