Where do things stand?
Cannabis policy in 2026 is moving on two tracks: states continue expanding access while the federal government inches toward rescheduling. Here's the map, the federal picture, and the reporting behind both.
States to watch in 2026
Four states where the next meaningful move could happen this year. Editorial picks based on where bills, ballots, and political will are actually aligned — not a model.
Bipartisan SB 120 is further than any rec bill has ever gone in PA history.
83% of Idahoans support medical — but the legislature placed a counter-measure on the same ballot.
One of 11 states with no medical program. The Senate passed a bill in 2022 — the House never voted.
150,000 medical patients prove the model works. S 350 would open the full market.
How the 50 states break down
Where is cannabis legal?
Click any state for program details, legalization year, dispensary count, senator NORML grades, and the legislation still in motion.
The road to Schedule III
The federal rescheduling process is live and moving fast under the current administration. The full timeline and current status lives on the home page's Schedule Watch.
View Schedule Watch →Recent reporting
The Senator Who Wouldn't Take Half a Win: Cory Booker, Cannabis, and the Cost of Purity
Cory Booker wrote the template for federal cannabis legalization — and then spent two years blocking the one reform bill that could actually pass. The story of a senator whose pursuit of the perfect bill became the enemy of the good one, and who paid the price for it.
"Federal prohibition of psychedelic medicine in America is over" — Trump signs psychedelics EO, and the cannabis industry is watching
Trump's April 18 executive order ships $50M in ARPA-H funding, three FDA Priority Vouchers within a week, and the first-ever U.S. ibogaine IND clearance. Inside the order's five sections, the Oval Office cast, and why the cannabis industry — still waiting on the rescheduling order Trump signed four months ago — is measuring every word of this one.
The Psychedelic Gold Rush: Five Companies Positioned to Win Under Trump's Executive Order
Trump's April 18 executive order is a structural catalyst for psychedelic drug developers. Here are the five clinical-stage companies — Compass, AtaiBeckley, GH Research, Definium, and Helus — positioned to benefit most, and why.
The New Boss: Terry Cole, the DEA's Long War on Cannabis, and Why Rescheduling Still Isn't Moving
Nine months after being sworn in as DEA Administrator, Terry Cole has let the Schedule III rulemaking sit exactly where his predecessor left it: nowhere. His career, his public statements, and the agency's 50-year track record tell you everything about why.
The Thirteen-Year Fight to Let Weed Money Into a Bank: A Complete History of the SAFE and SAFER Banking Acts
From a quiet 2013 bill by a Colorado Democrat to seven House passages, a historic 2023 Senate committee vote, and a Trump-era rescheduling collision that pushed it off the agenda — the full story of how Congress has spent more than a decade trying, and failing, to let legal cannabis businesses open a checking account.
The CBD Hearing That Won't Go Away: SAM v. Kennedy Gets New Plaintiffs, New Date, and a Standing Problem
The federal lawsuit threatening Medicare's new CBD pilot just got more complicated. An amended complaint, new plaintiffs with concrete competitive-injury claims, and a new May 1 hearing reset the entire case.
Todd Blanche: The Man Who Could Move Cannabis to Schedule III
Six days after Trump fired Pam Bondi, acting AG Todd Blanche inherited a stalled rescheduling process — and a directive to finish it. Here's who he is, what he's said about cannabis, and what to watch next.
Medicare's CBD pilot is live — here's what the $500 benefit actually covers, and who's trying to stop it
The CMS Innovation Center launched its Substance Access Beneficiary Engagement Incentive on April 1, allowing select Medicare patients to receive up to $500 in physician-supervised, hemp-derived CBD products annually. But an April 20 court date could shut it down before it scales.
FDA finalizes total-THC framework for hemp products ahead of November 2026 deadline
The rule replaces the delta-9-only standard from the 2018 Farm Bill with a total-THC measurement, effectively banning most intoxicating hemp products at the federal level.
How Section 280E has cost cannabis companies billions — and why rescheduling would change everything
A deep dive into the tax provision that prevents marijuana businesses from deducting ordinary expenses, and the massive financial implications of a move to Schedule III.
Social equity cannabis licenses were supposed to repair drug war harms — most programs are falling short
A survey of state-level social equity programs reveals a pattern: ambitious promises at launch, followed by bureaucratic delays, underfunding, and capture by well-financed operators.
The $28 Billion Accident: How One Line in the 2018 Farm Bill Built America's Biggest Cannabis Loophole
Mitch McConnell's 2018 hemp language accidentally birthed a $28 billion unregulated THC market. On November 12, 2026, the loophole closes — and a seven-year experiment in chemical improvisation, gas-station gummies, and regulatory drift finally meets its deadline.