On Dec. 18, President Donald Trump surprised the nation by signing an executive order directing the federal government to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, expanding medical research on an issue that has long been more political than practical.
The order does not legalize cannabis or erase the divide between state and federal law. But it is a meaningful shift. Schedule III lowers barriers to research and removes one of the largest financial penalties facing legal state cannabis businesses: the 280E tax rule, which blocks standard business deductions. While rescheduling won’t resolve every federal conflict, it moves the goalposts and signals a willingness to follow long-standing evidence.
What does this mean for Iowa? Federal action does not fix Iowa’s reality. Our medical cannabis program remains highly restrictive, with a default purchase cap of 4.5 grams of THC every 90 days and limited options to increase it. At the same time, Iowa’s consumable hemp program was sharply restricted under House File 2605 in 2024, imposing some of the nation’s most stringent THC serving and container limits on non-intoxicating full-spectrum, hemp-derived products, banning product categories with documented health benefits. The result was predictable: pulled products, closed stores, lost jobs, and frustrated consumers told, simply, “not anymore.”
For a real-world view, talk to Iowans with chronic pain who can’t find a consistent product that fits Iowa’s rules. Talk to the cancer patient managing nausea who doesn’t want to feel intoxicated — just functional. Talk to the older adult who wants to sleep through the night without next-day grogginess. These aren’t fringe cases. They are everyday health conversations happening quietly across Iowa communities.
This moment presents an opportunity — educational, economic and policy-driven. It is not partisan. Iowa policymakers need to get educated, be practical and put Iowans first. Patients, veterans, parents, seniors, small business owners and clinicians are not asking for politics; they are asking for clarity, safety and access.
Nearly 4 in 5 Iowans support access to safe, legal products. Iowa can modernize — or watch opportunity pass us by. Thoughtful reform could bring clinical research partnerships, agricultural and manufacturing jobs, and tax revenue that stays here. It could also strengthen guardrails through better testing, clearer labeling, and improved education around impairment and safe storage.
To those who worry about moving too fast: That is exactly why Iowa should lead with regulation and education, not prohibition and confusion. Prohibition does not eliminate demand; it drives people toward misinformation, unregulated products and inconsistent dosing. If we value personal responsibility, we should also value honest information in a well-regulated marketplace.
We don’t have all the answers yet, and the legal timeline still matters. But the direction is clearer than ever. Iowa’s policymakers, health systems and clinicians should meet this moment with seriousness and humility. Waiting is not a health plan, and it is not an economic strategy. Iowa has a choice: lead with evidence and common sense, or cling to outdated policy while our neighbors move forward.
Rick Wagaman of Windsor Heights holds a master of science degree in medical cannabis science and therapeutics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Pharmacy. He works in cannabis education and training and is a founding member of the Iowa Hemp Alliance.