The State of Cannabis in Florida and the Nation: It’s a Hot Topic in 2026
Editor’s note: This commentary is provided by the Medical Marijuana Education and Research Initiative (MMERI) of Florida A&M University)
Cannabis is poised to be a major issue in 2026, as a federal effort to lower its classification moves forward and some states face initiatives to roll back adult-use laws. In Florida, lawmakers are weighing changes to medical marijuana policy, and a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana failed to qualify for the November ballot.
On Dec. 18, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to fast-track the reclassification of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III. While the order neither legalizes marijuana for recreational use nor decriminalizes it at the federal level, the move acknowledges a shift in federal drug policy.
“Moving to Schedule III says that cannabis is not highly addictive; that there is medicinal value,” says Carla Ashburn, founder and CEO of Medical Marijuana Care of Florida, which operates clinics along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
H.R. 5371, a federal law set to go into effect on Nov. 12, bans intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids, including Delta-8 THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), Delta-10 THC, high-THCA flower, and HHC (hexahydrocannabinol).
Across the nation, campaigns to repeal adult-use marijuana laws are underway in Maine, Massachusetts, and Arizona.
“It’s part of a larger trend of pushback against cannabis initiatives,” says Shanel Lindsay, an attorney and cannabis policy expert with the Parabola Center for Law and Policy.
Meanwhile, the Florida Legislature is considering two bills that would extend protections to parents and employees who legally use medical marijuana, measures Ms. Ashburn says she supports.
Visit https://bit.ly/MMERIJanuary2026 to watch MMERI’s Conversations on Cannabis Virtual Forum featuring Carla Ashburn and Shanel Lindsay discussing “The State of Cannabis in Florida and the U.S.”