🌿 DOJ reigns over rescheduling, Americans support cannabis legalization, and UAE regulates medical hemp

Happy Friday and New Year Pre Rollers! Welcome to another edition of The Pre Roll, the cannabis newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the industry happenings you need to know.

Here’s what we’re rolling up this week:

• DOJ reigns over rescheduling

• Americans support cannabis legalization

• UAE regulates medical hemp

…and more. Let’s get to it.

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🚨 ROLL CALL

Policy

Take the reins. In a new Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, researchers note that although President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law, that rescheduling has not yet been finalized and still must go through the formal regulatory process. Because President Trump cannot change the classification on his own, DOJ could decide to restart the rulemaking, delay it, or even ignore it entirely.

The CRS also explains that Congress itself has the authority to reschedule cannabis through legislation, and there have been past efforts and proposals to do so.

As of publication, DOJ has not publicly detailed its next steps, although many remain optimistic it is only a matter of time.

Policy

Bipartisan backing. A recent national poll found that a bipartisan majority of Americans support legalizing cannabis. The survey shows strong backing across party lines, with most Democrats (62%) and over half of Republicans (51%) saying cannabis should be legal.

Support also spans age and gender (58% of men, 50% of women), highlighting that cannabis legalization has become mainstream rather than a partisan or generational issue. The numbers signal that public opinion is firmly in favor of reform, putting additional pressure on lawmakers to take meaningful action on legalization.

Policy

An industrial revolution. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) passed landmark legislation allowing the medical use of industrial hemp for the first time, paving the way for products containing hemp compounds such as CBD to be used in regulated medicinal applications and supporting other industries such as textiles, construction, and packaging.

The government says the move could help build a “promising market” and create a new economic sector.

At the same time, the law strictly prohibits personal or recreational use, and hemp products can’t be used in food, dietary supplements, veterinary goods, or smoking products. Strict licensing, security, THC limits (0.3%), and testing are also part of the new regulatory framework.

🇺🇸 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

New York: Adult-use cannabis sales have surpassed $2.5 billion since the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) was enacted.

Tennessee: Lawmakers are debating possible medical cannabis reform following a federal shift on cannabis.

💨 QUICK HITTERS

• A new study revealed more than 1 in 3 undercover underage shoppers were able to buy hemp-derived THC products in the Twin Cities without being asked for ID.

📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

• How Trump Became the Unlikely Champion of Easing Marijuana Restrictions (Wall Street Journal)

• Opinion | Cannabis is legitimate. It’s high time the United States follows suit. (Washington Post)

• Behind Oklahoma Cannabis Farms, New Yorkers With Ties to Beijing (New York Times)

• I ran High Times magazine. Cannabis reform needs safeguards. | Opinion (USA TODAY)

• Marijuana Saw Some Big Moments In 2025—From Trump’s Rescheduling Order To State Legalization Momentum (Marijuana Moment)

• 2025 Year in Review: NORML’s Top Ten Events in Marijuana Policy (NORML)

• Pot Inc. was celebrating Trump’s rescue — but cannabis companies still can’t be banked (New York Post)

• A federal reset on cannabis is coming. Iowa should not miss it. | Opinion (Des Moines Register)

• 2025 cannabis sales in Connecticut likely lower than 2024. Here's why (CT Insider)

📽️ VIDEO OF THE WEEK

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Stay tuned for more cannabis industry news next week!

💚,

The Pre Roll Team

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