Patient Response to Executive Order on Medical Cannabis and Cannabidiol Research
Washington, DC — Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the nation’s leading medical cannabis patient advocacy organization, today welcomed President Trump’s Executive Order directing federal agencies to advance medical cannabis and cannabidiol research, while cautioning that rescheduling alone will not deliver safe, consistent access or restore patient rights without congressional action.
The Executive Order directs the Attorney General to expedite the process of rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, instructs the White House to work with Congress on access to full-spectrum CBD products, and calls on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop research models using real-world evidence to inform standards of care.
“This order finally reflects what patients, clinicians, and states have known for decades: cannabis has medical value,” said Steph Sherer, Founder and Executive Director of Americans for Safe Access. “We commend the President for acknowledging that reality matters. But recognition is not the same as access—and research is not the same as patient protection.”
ASA emphasized that while rescheduling corrects a long-standing scientific and policy error, it does not legalize medical cannabis, integrate state programs into federal healthcare systems, or protect patients from discrimination.
“Under Schedule III, patients can still lose housing, employment, or parental rights simply for following a doctor’s recommendation,” Sherer said. “Doctors still cannot issue federally recognized prescriptions for whole-plant cannabis. Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA still cannot cover it. These gaps don’t disappear with rescheduling.”
More information on scheduling and medical cannabis patients
ASA welcomed the Administration’s focus on improving research infrastructure, particularly the use of real-world evidence and outcomes data that reflect how patients actually use cannabis and hemp-derived cannabinoid products to manage chronic conditions such as pain, cancer symptoms, epilepsy, PTSD, and neurodegenerative diseases.
“For too long, patients have been the data—without the data being collected,” Sherer said. “Real-world evidence is essential, especially for seniors, veterans, and patients managing chronic pain who are already using these therapies with or without federal guidance.”
The organization also underscored the urgency of addressing the unstable and confusing federal framework for hemp-derived cannabinoid products, including full-spectrum CBD products relied upon by millions of patients nationwide—particularly in states without functional medical cannabis programs.
“Patients need consistency, product safety, and clear standards of care,” Sherer said. “Right now, the absence of an FDA pathway and shifting hemp rules leave patients navigating a marketplace with uneven protections and little clinical guidance. That’s not a patient choice problem—it’s a policy failure.”
ASA stressed that meaningful reform now depends on Congress.
“This Executive Order opens doors—but Congress has to walk through them,” Sherer said. “We need federal legislation that creates a national medical cannabis framework, protects patients from discrimination, integrates cannabis into healthcare systems, and ensures safe, regulated access everywhere patients live, work, travel, and heal.”
Americans for Safe Access will continue working with patients, healthcare professionals, researchers, regulators, and lawmakers to ensure that federal policy finally aligns with medical reality—and with the needs of the millions of Americans who rely on cannabis as medicine.
More information on creating a national medical cannabis program: www.SafeAccess4All.org
ASA's most recent memo to Congress: www.safeaccessnow.org/december_2025_memo
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About Americans for Safe Access
Founded in 2002, Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is the largest national organization of patients, medical professionals, scientists, and advocates working to ensure safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research. ASA promotes patient-centered policies, healthcare integration, product safety, and evidence-based regulation at the state and federal levels.
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