WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, the United States Justice Department (DOJ) reclassified cannabis, moving it from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Adam J. Smith, Executive Director of the Marijuana Policy Project, the nation’s leading cannabis policy reform organization, released the following statement in response to the reclassification:

"Rescheduling cannabis is a historic move towards sanity in cannabis policy. We hope that this will open the door to more medical research, inspires states to guarantee access to safe, regulated cannabinoids for patients who desperately need them, and that the regulated industry might finally be treated more fairly under the federal tax code. But a move to Schedule III stops short of the systemic change we need. It does nothing to end hundreds of thousands of possession arrests each year, nor does it do anything to fix the untenable, ongoing disconnect between federal prohibition and the regulated state markets under which more than half of American adults live. While we welcome this important step, the federal government should treat cannabis the same way it treats alcohol, which means descheduling cannabis entirely." 

Background: In 2022, the Biden administration advised the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Attorney General's office to conduct a scientific review of cannabis’ schedule under the Controlled Substances Act. In August 2023, the HHS and FDA recommended that cannabis be reclassified to Schedule III. The agencies’ scientific review found that cannabis has currently accepted medical use and a lower potential for abuse than Schedule I and II drugs. The Department of Justice proposed rescheduling in 2024 and opened a public comment period shortly after. In December 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Attorney General to accelerate the rescheduling process. Information on the potential impacts of rescheduling is available here.

In other news, MPP released a comprehensive new report this week detailing the landscape of cannabis arrests in the United States. Based on FBI Crime Explorer data, the report examines cannabis arrest data in all 50 states and highlights a wide gap between legalization and prohibition states. The full report, including a state-by-state breakdown of arrest data, is available here.

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Civil rights and criminal justice leaders call for five-party discussions to establish a clear, collaborative path forward

Harrisburg, PA — Following Governor Josh Shapiro’s inclusion of adult-use cannabis legalization in his state budget proposal for the third consecutive year, a broad coalition of Pennsylvania stakeholders, including civil liberties advocates and criminal justice reform leaders, sent a formal letter to the Governor, urging the administration to prioritize adult-use cannabis legalization this year by convening formal “five-party” leadership discussions to finally deliver this long-overdue reform.

The coalition is requesting that the Governor’s office bring together Democratic and Republican leadership from both the House and Senate's four caucuses in five-party talks to establish a clear, collaborative path forward in 2026. “Doing so would align Pennsylvania with national trends, advance economic and workforce goals, and most importantly, end the unnecessary criminalization of Pennsylvanians for simple cannabis possession and use that the public overwhelmingly agrees should no longer be punished,” the letter states.

While multiple bipartisan adult-use legalization bills have been introduced in both the House and Senate, the coalition argues that Pennsylvania continues to fall behind.
 
“As surrounding states implement adult-use cannabis programs, the Commonwealth is losing out on thousands of good-paying jobs, hundreds of millions in tax revenue, and significant economic development opportunities—benefits that are instead flowing across our borders. This competitive disadvantage grows more pronounced with each year of inaction.” 

The letter also emphasizes that the repeated failure to enact adult-use regulations and meaningful decriminalization continues to impose profound human costs. 

“Tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians are still arrested, jailed, or otherwise entangled in the criminal justice system each year for non-violent cannabis offenses—conduct that is legal and unpunished in nearly every neighboring state.”

The letter, sent to Gov. Shapiro on February 5, was signed by the following organizations: ACLU of Pennsylvania, the African American Chamber of Commerce of Pennsylvania, Doctors for Drug Policy Reform, Last Prisoner Project, Law Enforcement Action Partnership, Marijuana Policy Project, Pennsylvania Prison Society, the Public Defender Association of Pennsylvania, and Straight Ahead.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump issued an Executive Order that will move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Following this news, Adam J. Smith, Executive Director of the Marijuana Policy Project, the nation’s leading cannabis policy reform organization, released the following statement:

"While MPP welcomes the President’s proposal to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, neither the plant itself nor its naturally occurring component cannabinoids belong on the schedule at all.

"We hope this move to Schedule III truly does open up medical research, that it inspires states to guarantee access to safe, regulated cannabinoids for patients who desperately need them, and that the regulated industry might finally be treated more fairly under the federal tax code. But a move to Schedule III does nothing to end hundreds of thousands of possession arrests each year, nor does it do anything to fix the untenable, ongoing disconnect between federal prohibition and the regulated state markets under which more than half of American adults live.

"We are pleased that the President is taking this important step, but it is only a step. It is long past time to deschedule cannabis entirely and end nearly a century of failed prohibition.”

Background: In 2022, the Biden administration advised the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Attorney General's office to conduct a scientific review of cannabis’ schedule under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). In August 2023, the HHS and FDA recommended that cannabis be reclassified to Schedule III. The agencies’ scientific review found that cannabis has currently accepted medical use and a lower potential for abuse than Schedule I and II drugs. The Department of Justice proposed rescheduling in 2024 and opened a public comment period shortly after. At the end of 2024, the DEA appointed Judge John Mulrooney to oversee the rescheduling hearing and named 25 witnesses to participate in the proceeding. Questions arose regarding whether the DEA should be included in the hearing as the proponent, given its apparent bias against rescheduling, as evidenced by its collaboration with individuals who opposed rescheduling to enable them to be witnesses. Judge Mulrooney cancelled (stayed) the hearings until the challenge was settled or resolved. 

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Harrisburg, PA — Newly released data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program shows that Pennsylvania police made 11,154 arrests for simple cannabis possession in 2024 alone, along with 1,553 arrests for cannabis sales/manufacturing.

According to the data, there have been 154,491 cannabis possession arrests and 27,222 arrests for cannabis sales/manufacturing in Pennsylvania over the last decade. 

"Every cannabis arrest is a preventable tragedy that ruins lives, creating barriers to jobs, career paths, and housing long after sentences are complete. Arresting over 12,000 people per year for cannabis offenses also diverts taxpayer dollars and resources away from solving violent crimes and property offenses with victims. The data underscores the urgent need for state lawmakers to pass legislation that ends simple cannabis arrests, expunges past records, and creates a regulated adult-use market," said Karen O’Keefe, Director of State Policies at the Marijuana Policy Project.

Notably, Pennsylvania remains one of only 19 states where simple cannabis possession can still lead to jail time. Meanwhile, nearly all of Pennsylvania's neighboring states (with the exception of West Virginia) have legalized adult-use cannabis, creating regulated markets and generating significant tax revenue. 

Pennsylvania lawmakers have proposed several bills to legalize, regulate, and tax cannabis for adults 21 and older in 2025. Reps. Rick Krajewski (D) and Dan Frankel’s (D) state-run stores bill, HB 1200, passed the House in a party-line vote in May, but it was killed in the Senate Law and Justice Committee days later. In July, Senate Law and Justice Committee Chairman Dan Laughlin (R) and Sen. Sharif Street (D) introduced a bipartisan cannabis legalization bill, SB 120, and Rep. Amen Brown (D) introduced companion bill HB 1735. Shortly after, Reps. Emily Kinkead (D) and Abby Major (R) introduced their bipartisan legalization bill, HB 20. Comparisons of the key aspects of the various proposals are available here.

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Washington, D.C. — The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), the nation’s leading cannabis policy organization, released an open letter to the cannabis industry today from Executive Director Adam J. Smith. Smith makes the case that robust independent advocacy is indispensable to industry's goals, and calls for a more strategic deployment of our collective political capital.

The letter explains that a vibrant and sustainable legal industry that includes rational regulation, reasonable taxation, and broad public access for adults and patients is the best antidote to dangerous, unregulated markets and is crucial to public health and safety. When the industry's profit incentives undercut its political credibility on these threshold issues, independent advocacy is uniquely qualified to make that case, particularly in the face of a resurgent neo-prohibitionist movement that is spreading shameful disinformation under the cynical mantle of "public health" and "protecting the children."

“A strong industry creates jobs, generates tax revenues, and revitalizes local economies. These arguments were, and still are, powerful incentives for reform. But they cannot finish the job of ending prohibition. They don’t speak to the deeper issues that first brought this movement together, nor can they speak with authority to address the concerns, including public health and safety, that many lawmakers and their constituents have about cannabis.”

The full letter is available here.

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Washington, D.C. — The Marijuana Policy Project (“MPP”), the nation’s leading cannabis organization, announced that Adam J. Smith will join the organization as Executive Director. Smith, a 30-year veteran of the drug policy reform movement, brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of advocacy successes that will further MPP's mission of ending cannabis prohibition and advancing sensible regulations nationwide.

“Adam’s sharp insight, deep expertise, and visionary leadership will catalyze MPP’s efforts to achieve transformative cannabis policy reforms at the local, state, and federal levels and advance justice, public health, and public safety. He has been engaged with cannabis policy reform efforts since before MPP’s founding in 1995, and he continues to forge an inclusive, responsive vision for patients, consumers, and businesses,” said Betty Aldworth, MPP’s Board Chair. “Lauren Daly provided exceptional leadership throughout this transition, and thanks to the strong foundation she built, Adam and MPP’s expert team are well-positioned to drive meaningful and lasting change.”

Smith's extensive career in drug policy reform includes significant contributions to the movement. In 1996, as Associate Director of StopTheDrugWar.org, Adam launched The Week Online, the nation’s first publication providing original coverage of domestic and international drug policy from a reform perspective. Two years later, Smith launched the Higher Education Act Reform Campaign, the first successful effort to roll back federal drug war era legislation. He also laid the groundwork for the founding of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, incubating the group under his direction for nearly two years until SSDP’s launch as a stand-alone organization. 

As the founder of the Craft Cannabis Alliance and the Alliance for Sensible Markets, Smith wrote legislation and spearheaded successful efforts to pass the nation’s first three cannabis interstate commerce bills in Oregon, California, and Washington. Smith was also a founding contributor to the "Marijuana Today" and “Marijuana Tomorrow" podcasts, appearing in more than 250 episodes from 2015-2023. He has organized and lobbied on behalf of craft cannabis producers, managed ballot initiatives and candidate campaigns, negotiated collective bargaining agreements for Oregon nurses, and built and served in coalitions driving legislative action on issues ranging from labor rights to election reform.
    
“I’m honored and excited to join the dedicated team at MPP and to build upon the organization’s extraordinary legacy in advancing sensible cannabis policy,” said Adam J. Smith. “The cannabis landscape has transformed dramatically over the past 30 years, thanks in large part to MPP’s leadership. Moving forward, we will continue fighting to ensure that no one, anywhere in the country, faces arrest or criminal penalties for cannabis use. At the same time, we’ll address the critical task of transforming emerging and existing markets into well-regulated, accessible, and equitable systems. After nearly a century of failed prohibition, it’s clear that the only effective path forward is to offer consumers a safer, economically vibrant, and environmentally responsible regulated marketplace. I’m deeply humbled to have the opportunity to lead the nation’s most impactful organization in cannabis policy reform.”

Lauren Daly, who has served as MPP's Interim Executive Director since January, will depart the organization this month as she relocates to Germany.

“It's been a tremendous privilege to serve as MPP’s Interim Executive Director. I’m proud of what we accomplished during my tenure and look forward to cheering Adam on as he steps into this role,” said Lauren Daly, MPP’s Interim Executive Director.

Since its founding in 1995, MPP has been at the forefront of the movement to reform federal cannabis policy on Capitol Hill and has spearheaded the vast majority of major state-level reforms over the past two decades. With Adam J. Smith at the helm, MPP is poised to accelerate its efforts, building on its history of impactful advocacy to achieve a more rational and just approach to cannabis policy in the United States.

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Austin, TX — On Saturday, Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed a medical cannabis expansion bill (HB 46) into law, making Texas the 40th state to legalize cannabis for medical use. 

The final version of HB46 includes several improvements to the Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP). Previously, TCUP was an extremely limited, restrictive, low-THC medical cannabis program that didn’t meet the Marijuana Policy Project’s standard to be considered a medical cannabis state.

“For too long, the existing Texas Compassionate Use Program has been severely limited, leaving countless Texans without the relief they desperately need. Texans have spoken, and their voices have been heard. HB 46 will expand access to medical cannabis, a relatively safe and effective treatment option that has long been sought by patients suffering from pain and several other serious medical conditions,” said Kevin Caldwell, Southeast Legislative Manager at the Marijuana Policy Project.

The improvements to TCUP include adding chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, and traumatic brain injury as qualifying conditions, and adding methods of delivery to include lotions, patches, suppositories, pulmonary inhalation with approved nebulizers, inhalers, and vaporizers (when directed by a doctor). Further, the bill replaces the current limit of 1% THC by weight with up to 10 milligrams per dose and a package not to exceed 1 gram of THC. The bill also requires The Department of Public Safety to issue 12 more licenses for dispensing organizations (for a total of 15 total). Dispensing organizations must become operational within 24 months after the license is issued. A full summary of HB 46 is available here.

With the addition of Texas, 40 states and Washington, D.C. now have workable medical cannabis laws. Polling consistently shows that the vast majority of Americans support allowing seriously ill patients to use cannabis for medical purposes with their doctors’ approval.

"Following in the footsteps of 39 other states, Texas has embraced a commonsense policy that will ensure that Texans facing serious medical conditions have access to a medicine that's already successfully improving lives nationwide. This new law is a direct result of overwhelming public support, acknowledging medical cannabis as a valuable, scientifically-supported option for managing chronic pain and debilitating illnesses," said Lauren Daly, Interim Executive Director at the Marijuana Policy Project.

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Harrisburg, P.A. — In its first four years of legal sales, Pennsylvania can anticipate $1-1.4 billion in adult-use cannabis tax revenue, according to a report released by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP).

Based on revenue projections from Arizona, Maryland, and Michigan, and assuming 16% in total taxes at retail, MPP anticipates that Pennsylvania would generate between $105 and $236 million in tax revenue in its first year of legal cannabis sales, and between $320 and $610 million by year four. 

“As Pennsylvania navigates a period of fiscal uncertainty, the Commonwealth is losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars in annual tax revenue that is instead flowing into the coffers of its neighboring states. Lawmakers should seize the opportunity to bolster the budget and grow the economy, while expanding freedom and implementing public health regulations,” said Karen O’Keefe, Director of State Policies at the Marijuana Policy Project. 

On May 7, 2025, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed HB 1200, which would legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older with sales through state-run stores. On May 13, the Senate Law and Justice Committee voted down HB 1200, with Chairman Dan Laughlin (R) expressing opposition to the state-stores model. Sens. Laughlin and Sharif Street have circulated a cosponsorship memo for a bipartisan bill with privately-operated stores, which avoids the uncertainty, expense, and delay of state-run stores.

Collectively, states have generated a combined total of more than $24.7 billion in tax revenue from legal adult-use cannabis sales since the first adult-use cannabis markets launched in Colorado and Washington in 2014, including over $4.4 billion in 2024, which is the most revenue generated by cannabis sales in a single year. 

Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis possession for adults 21 and older. All except Virginia and D.C. have also legalized, regulated, and taxed cannabis sales. In two legalization states — Delaware and Minnesota — sales have not begun yet.

Notably, cannabis taxes have provided funding for a variety of programs and services, such as Medicaid, education, school construction, housing, roads, early literacy, bullying prevention, behavioral health, alcohol and drug treatment, veterans’ services, conservation, job training, conviction expungement expenses, and reinvestment in communities that have been disproportionately affected by the war on cannabis, among many others. 

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States have generated a combined total of more than $24.7 billion in tax revenue since legal adult-use cannabis sales began

Washington, D.C. — States have generated a combined total of more than $24.7 billion in tax revenue from legal adult-use cannabis sales since the first adult-use cannabis markets launched in Colorado and Washington in 2014, according to a new report published by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). 

In 2024 alone, legalization states collectively generated more than $4.4 billion in cannabis tax revenue from adult-use sales, which is the most revenue generated by cannabis sales in a single year. Further, seven states collected over $200 million in adult-use cannabis taxes (four of those states generated over $500 million in revenue, one of which collected over $1 billion).

“At a time when federal funding cuts are putting pressure on states’ budgets, adult-use cannabis taxes are bringing billions of dollars into states’ coffers. Legal adult-use markets have also contributed to significant job growth, creating thousands of new employment and small business opportunities. While economic growth isn’t the primary reason for legalizing adult-use cannabis, it is undeniably a great benefit,” said Lauren Daly, Interim Executive Director at the Marijuana Policy Project. 

MPP’s report reviews each legalization state’s adult-use cannabis tax structure, population, and year-by-year adult-use cannabis tax revenue in chronological order, based on when state-legal cannabis sales began. These figures include cannabis excise taxes and states’ standard sales taxes that are applied to cannabis. They do not include medical cannabis tax revenue.

Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis possession for adults 21 and older. All except Virginia and D.C. have also legalized, regulated, and taxed cannabis sales. In two legalization states — Delaware and Minnesota — sales have not begun yet.

“Cannabis prohibition destroys lives by tearing apart families and creating life-altering criminal records that stand in the way of jobs, housing, and an education. Cannabis legalization dramatically reduces the number of arrests and wasted law enforcement resources, while generating billions of dollars in new revenue that can improve residents’ wellbeing,” said Karen O’Keefe, Director of State Policies at the Marijuana Policy Project.

Notably, cannabis taxes have provided funding for a variety of programs and services, such as Medicaid, education, school construction, housing, roads, early literacy, bullying prevention, behavioral health, alcohol and drug treatment, veterans’ services, conservation, job training, conviction expungement expenses, and reinvestment in communities that have been disproportionately affected by the war on cannabis, among many others. 

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Washington, D.C. — The Marijuana Policy Project (“MPP”), the nation’s leading cannabis organization, announced that Lauren Daly will join the organization as Interim Executive Director. Lauren is returning to MPP after working as a frontline fundraiser for more than a decade in impactful nonprofit organizations. 

"The Board of Directors is delighted to work with Lauren to strengthen MPP and ensure that the values and voice of the cannabis policy reform movement remains central in the critical work ahead to end prohibition in every state and the nation. Lauren's demonstrated her dedication to patients, consumers, and people who are marginalized by marijuana laws through her years of work in the movement, and we're grateful that she's bringing her skills and insights to MPP," said Betty Aldworth, Chair of the MPP Board of Directors.

Lauren first joined the cannabis movement as a volunteer in 2013 and soon after joined the MPP as a Membership Assistant. In 2014, she joined Students for Sensible Drug Policy (“SSDP”) and became the organization’s first Development Director, leading fundraising efforts during one of the largest growth periods in SSDP’s history. In 2020, she became a Development Officer for the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia, where played a key role in steering ACLU-DC’s fundraising strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, she managed a multi-million dollar portfolio of donors at Brown University. 

“I'm thrilled to be back at MPP and am looking forward to serving the organization during this interim period. There’s much more work to be done as we continue our efforts to end cannabis prohibition. With a talented, driven staff and a proven strategy for achieving meaningful reforms, MPP is well-positioned for success in 2025 and beyond. I’m honored to be part of this organization,” said Lauren Daly, MPP’s new interim executive director.

In 2025, MPP is focused on legalizing and regulating cannabis via the state legislatures in Hawaii, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania; working with local allies to pass medical cannabis laws in the remaining states without medical cannabis programs; protecting and expanding access in Nebraska and the 38 other states with existing medical programs; and advancing federal cannabis reforms.

"For thirty years, MPP has been the leader on state-level cannabis reforms. This year, we’ve set our sights on advancing cannabis reform opportunities in key states and re-prioritizing our efforts at the federal level. We look forward to working together with allies to maximize pressure for full federal legalization," said Daly.

Current Interim Executive Director Matthew Schweich, who has led the organization since the summer of 2023, will revert to his role of Deputy Director.

“I’m very excited to hand the reins to Lauren and lend whatever assistance I can as she leads MPP into its next chapter,” said Schweich.

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