This story was originally published in The Conway Daily Sun and written by Nathaniel Gurien. You can find the online version of the article HERE.

In a rare turn of events, Donald Trump signed an executive order in December that has the potential to be a net positive for this country. Read more from The Conway Daily Sun below:

“On Thursday [12/18/2025], President Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Department of Justice and its Drug Enforcement Administration to expedite reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule 1 controlled substance — drugs with no medical value and a high potential for abuse, such as heroin, LSD and methamphetamine — to Schedule 3, which includes substances with accepted medical value and a lower potential for abuse, such as Tylenol with codeine.

The executive order also urged Congress to broaden the definition of hemp to “full spectrum” to ease some of the severe restrictions imposed by last month’s budget bill. Under the proposal, Medicare and Medicaid would authorize coverage for nonintoxicating CBD recommended by a doctor, including some over-the-counter CBD products currently available at convenience stores and smoke shops.

The order does not legalize state-sanctioned medical or recreational cannabis sales, nor personal consumption, possession, home cultivation or farm-stand sales. It does not undo the prohibition on hemp containing intoxicating amounts of THC set to take effect in a year. It does not protect the Second Amendment rights of cannabis users. It does not legalize cannabis banking, credit card acceptance or lending.

Once rescheduled, cannabis would be federally legal only with a doctor’s prescription dispensed by a licensed pharmacy. As a practical matter, this will not happen until research and clinical trials are completed and the Food and Drug Administration approves specific products and formulations. While the order marks the birth of a pharmaceutical channel for cannabis, it will be years before New Hampshire residents see any noticeable change.

Although it is largely a nothing-burger for New Hampshire residents, the order does relieve some of the cannabis industry’s most suffocating pain points. IRS provision 280E prohibits enterprises selling or handling Schedule 1 or Schedule 2 narcotics from deducting operating expenses from their gross income for tax purposes, often resulting in tax liabilities that exceed profit. That provision would no longer apply, providing significant relief, and some operators may receive retroactive rebates of excessive taxes recently paid. Since raising capital and securing financing remain challenges for cannabis businesses, this may also provide secondary financial relief.

Next year, the New Hampshire Legislature will likely approve legislation granting medical cannabis operators the option of converting to for-profit operations from their current nonprofit-only status. Combined with the tax relief component of rescheduling, this change would place them on sounder financial footing.

Another important change is that federal research grants and support would become available for pharmaceutical research and clinical trials to more clearly define and institutionalize medical and wellness applications. This would lead to FDA approvals and official support for approved medications and remedies by the medical community.

Perhaps most important for the industry, this initiative represents the first official acknowledgment by the federal government that cannabis is on a trajectory toward general acceptance. That signal may encourage previously reluctant sectors — such as banks, insurance companies, employers, financial advisers and investors — to relax restrictions on supporting or associating with cannabis operations.

In New Hampshire, the easing of federal cannabis restrictions, however incremental, may also reduce concerns among policymakers. That could lead to more progress next year than previously thought possible, including reducing penalties for, if not outright legalizing, personal consumption, possession and medical home cultivation.

Meanwhile, because nearly any New Hampshire resident can now qualify for a medical cannabis patient card — often referred to as a Cannabis Carry License — it remains as easy as getting a driver’s license to legally possess, use and transport cannabis while avoiding potential fines and jail time. Pending state legislation is also expected to fully protect the Second Amendment rights of New Hampshire medical cannabis cardholders from federal interference when it passes next spring with overwhelming majorities.

Nathaniel Gurien lives in Sandwich and is executive director of the New Hampshire Cannabis Party. He can be reached at nathaniel@nhcannabis.org.”