BREAKING: Unwavering Resolve Just Won. Cannabis is Heading to Schedule III.
Date: December 18, 2025
Author: Ashley, owner of DNA Hemp
For decades, we’ve been told that "unwavering resolve" was the only thing keeping the hemp industry alive. We were told to hold the line, to keep planting, and to keep believing that eventually, common sense would prevail over outdated policy.
Today, that resolve was vindicated.
This morning, President Trump signed an historic Executive Order directing the Attorney General to expedite the rescheduling of marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance.
This isn’t just a headline. For a small local farm like ours here in Wisconsin, this is the breaking of a dam. The grey area we have operated in for years is finally washing away.
Here is what today’s news means for our future—and yours.
1. The End of the "280E" Nightmare
If you’ve heard us complain about taxes, it wasn’t about paying our fair share—it was about Code 280E. Because of the Schedule I classification, cannabis-adjacent businesses were barred from deducting standard business expenses (rent, payroll, equipment). We were taxed on gross revenue, not profit.
With the move to Schedule III, 280E is effectively dead.
• What this means: The money we used to lose to an unjust tax code can now be reinvested. We can upgrade our irrigation, hire more local hands for the harvest, and expand our product line without fear of bankruptcy.
2. Legitimacy in the Eyes of the Bank
For years, walking into a bank as a hemp farmer felt like confessing to a crime. Loans were denied. Accounts were frozen.
Today’s Executive Order signals to financial institutions that the water is safe.
• What this means: We can finally operate like a normal small business. We can secure loans for a new tractor, process payments without jumping through hoops, and build a stable financial foundation for the next generation.
3. A Green Light for Science (Finally)
The most exciting part of today’s news isn’t financial—it’s scientific. By moving cannabis out of the same category as heroin (Schedule I) and into a category for drugs with "accepted medical use" (Schedule III), the federal government has finally admitted what we’ve known all along: This plant has value.
• Research Unleashed: Universities and agricultural colleges can now study cannabis genetics and soil interactions without risking their federal funding.
• Real Data: We can finally move past anecdotal evidence and get concrete data on how our specific terpene profiles support wellness.
The Road Ahead
We aren't popping champagne just yet—there is still administrative work to be done to finalize the rule. But the heavy lifting is over. The signal has been sent.
To everyone who supported us when we were "operating in the grey," thank you. To every customer who bought our local hemp products despite the stigma, thank you.
Our resolve was unwavering because we knew this day would come. Now that it’s here, we have only one thing left to do:
Grow.
