DES MOINES, IOWA (December 23, 2025) — The Libertarian Party of Iowa welcomes President Trump’s decision to reschedule marijuana under federal law — moving it from Schedule I to Schedule III — a change that recognizes medical use and reduces long-standing barriers to research, innovation, and lawful economic activity.
While rescheduling does not fully resolve federal involvement in marijuana policy, it represents a meaningful shift toward treating cannabis as a medical and scientific issue rather than a political one. By easing federal restrictions, this change has the potential to accelerate research into cannabis-based therapies and expand medically appropriate options for patients.
Veterans Stand to Benefit
The potential impact is especially significant for veterans. Federal restrictions have long limited research and treatment flexibility for veterans suffering from chronic pain, PTSD, and other service-related conditions, often narrowing the range of available medical options. Rescheduling marijuana may allow researchers and medical professionals to more fully explore evidence-based cannabis therapies and give veterans and their doctors greater flexibility in care decisions.
Critical for Iowa Cancer Patients
This shift is also highly relevant for Iowa patients. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Iowa has one of the highest cancer rates in the nation, and those rates continue to rise. Federal marijuana restrictions have constrained research into cannabis-based therapies that may help cancer patients manage pain, nausea, appetite loss, and other treatment-related side-effects. Reducing federal barriers opens the door for innovation that could improve quality of life and expand supportive care options for Iowans facing serious illness.
Economic Opportunity for Iowa
Beyond patient care, rescheduling carries important economic implications. The legal cannabis industry already generates significant economic activity nationwide through jobs, construction, services, and tax revenue. Federal rescheduling is expected to reduce regulatory friction, improve banking access, and create a more stable environment for investment and growth in state-legal markets. This change may also ease federal tax burdens that have constrained lawful cannabis businesses, helping existing operators survive and encouraging new investment in medical product development and ancillary services.
“Federal marijuana policy has limited both medical innovation and economic opportunity for decades,” said Jules Cutler, Chair of the Libertarian Party of Iowa. “Rescheduling marijuana removes barriers that have slowed progress — especially for veterans dealing with PTSD and chronic pain, and for Iowans facing cancer, where supportive treatment options matter. Libertarians have long argued that policy should be grounded in science, patient care, and individual choice rather than rigid, one-size-fits-all mandates.”
A Path Forward for Iowa
The Libertarian Party of Iowa urges a coordinated state response to this federal shift. That response should not fall on the Legislature alone. Iowa can act now by:
- Directing state agencies to review and update regulations for consistency with the new federal Schedule III classification;
- Aligning Iowa’s controlled substance scheduling with the updated federal framework to reduce regulatory confusion for patients, providers, and researchers;
- Removing state-level administrative barriers to cannabis medical research at Iowa’s universities and medical institutions;
- Expanding access within Iowa’s existing medical cannabidiol program to reflect evolving medical evidence and patient needs; and
- Streamlining licensing and regulatory processes to attract medical cannabis research, development, and manufacturing investment in Iowa.
By taking these steps through both administrative and legislative action, Iowa can lead in medical innovation, support veterans and patients facing serious illness, and create economic opportunities — while maintaining appropriate oversight and public safety standards.
The Libertarian Party of Iowa is committed to America’s heritage of freedom: Individual liberty and personal responsibility, a free-market economy of abundance and prosperity, a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace, and free trade. Find out more at lpia.org.
