The Marijuana Herald spoke with five congressional staffers to gauge their views on several ongoing cannabis reform efforts.
The staffers, two working for Democrats and three working for Republicans, spoke to the Herald on the condition of anonymity. Four of the staffers work in the Senate, and one in the House of Representatives.
All five staffers said they believe marijuana will be rescheduled before the end of the year, reflecting growing confidence that the Biden Administration’s recommendation to move it to Schedule III will be finalized under President Trump, who has said last week that a decision will come within the next few weeks.
“Rescheduling is now being talked about among lawmakers and their staff as if it’s a sure thing,” said one Senate staffer. “I believe it’s a safe bet.”
The staffers also unanimously agreed that the provision in the military spending bill allowing veterans access to medical cannabis, which has already cleared both chambers of Congress, will survive reconciliation and become law next month.
A senior Senate staffer told us, “Medical cannabis for veterans has strong bipartisan support. I can’t imagine any lawmaker would try to remove the provision during reconciliation when they didn’t oppose it as it moved through the House and Senate.”
On the SAFER Banking Act, the staffers were less united. Three of the five predicted that the legislation will pass during the 2025–2026 session, though only one said they believe it will be enacted this year. The two who expect it to be passed this session but not this year noted that it could clear committee this fall but is unlikely to reach the president’s desk until sometime in 2026.
“It’ll be filed soon, no doubt”, said the House staffer. “It could get through its committee of origin this year in either or both chambers, but I don’t see a possibility of it passing this year. In 2026—definitely.”
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