Just when you thought cannabis was boring!
On December 18th, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order that sets the process in motion to reschedule cannabis on the federal level. This would change the legal status of cannabis from Schedule I, a designation reserved for highly addictive drugs with no medical use, to Schedule III, reclassifying it as a drug with a moderate to low potential for abuse and accepted medical use.
And of course, for cannabis marketers, the first thing we think is, “what does this mean for marketing?”
In all honesty, rescheduling is unlikely to have a direct impact on cannabis marketers in the short term. There are no answers yet to many of these questions. The executive order simply does not, and will not, affect marketing before major questions around services like banking are addressed. Instead, how rescheduling impacts those services will eventually trickle down to marketing.
Still, rescheduling is an important signal that the official attitude toward cannabis in this country is changing, and marketers need to be prepared for what that could mean down the line, if not tomorrow.
Here’s what’s on our minds.
1. Will this mean there's more money to spend on cannabis marketing?
Most likely, yes.
One of the major issues that rescheduling will tackle head-on is 280E. This is a tax provision that prevents businesses that deal in Schedule I substances from claiming business deductions on their taxes. Where non-cannabis and ancillary cannabis companies can write off standard marketing expenses, plant-touching businesses like dispensaries and brands cannot. With the burden of 280E lifted, that should free up more companies to invest in marketing.
CannaContent’s view: We sure do hope so.
2. Does this mean ads will be allowed on Google?
Not today, but maybe down the line.
Federal changes to cannabis policy will certainly affect the private sector, but it does not mean the private sector is chomping at the bit to accept cannabis ad dollars transparently or compliantly. Remember: just because they can, doesn’t mean they will.
We already see this in state-legal markets. For example, billboard owners are fully within their rights to decline cannabis ad dollars, even if the state allows for billboard ads.
We can also look to Canada, where cannabis advertising is just barely allowed on Google. Canada legalized recreational cannabis in 2018, but it was only this past summer (August 2025) that Google began a pilot program to accept cannabis ad dollars. For those keeping score at home, it took nearly seven years for Google to wade into compliant ads.
CannaContent’s view: While we think it’s likely that Google will eventually take cannabis ad dollars, we are far from the day when that will actually happen.
3. Will Meta change its policies?
Likely not, but don’t rule it out just yet.
Meta's content enforcement policies are based on international law, not state-by-state or country-by-country regulations. Cannabis and other drugs are considered just as damaging as child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and weapons when it comes to distributing content on Facebook and Instagram. This connects back to Meta’s response to anti-trafficking measures globally; they do not want their platform to be seen as a place to conduct these transactions, even though cannabis is legal in many places.
There was some progress in the paid ads space, as Facebook allowed ads for some industrial hemp products that do not contain THC in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. That gives us a glimpse into what could be if cannabis is rescheduled. It’s equally possible that Meta allows cannabis content (both paid and organic) but regulates it like a pharmaceutical or alcohol. There’s also the matter of which government body would get involved with cannabis marketing enforcement and to what degree.
CannaContent’s view: Meta might relax its policies in a world where cannabis is no longer a Schedule I substance, but the change is likely not as straightforward as many of us would like it to be.
4. Will TikTok change its policies?
Probably not.
Remember that TikTok is owned by Bytedance, a technology company based in Beijing, China. To put it lightly, cannabis is not welcome in China. Similar to Meta, TikTok is a global company that takes the laws and sensitivities of nearly 200 countries into account. This background highly influences the platform’s moderation policies.
TikTok is also particularly sensitive about the age of the folks who use the platform. Yes, arguments can be made about all the other bad things teens are exposed to on TikTok, but since when has cannabis been subject to balanced or logical enforcement?
On top of all this, the clock is still ticking on the hunt for a TikTok buyer that will oversee U.S. operations. When and if that eventually happens, the relationship with the U.S. team and headquarters overseas will likely have a say in how organic cannabis-related content is managed.
CannaContent’s view: We have little hope that TikTok will soften its content policies around cannabis.
5. Will rescheduling break us out of the cannabis-specific software box?
Yes—potentially.
Many e-commerce platforms, website builders, email marketing platforms, and similar tools simply won't participate in the cannabis market due to the (perceived and actual) risk and stigma involved. This may change as federal policy shifts, major issues surrounding banking and payment processors improve, and investors and other decision-makers become less queasy about playing in the same sandbox as cannabis companies.
Highly regulated industries like cannabis are not easy to translate to a lot of standard e-commerce tools. There are many specialty integrations and reporting requirements that cannabis companies must comply with by law. That’s a whole new world for a large SaaS company to contend with, and some may not have the appetite to chase the cannabis industry’s business as a result. The specialty angle will still have its appeal, but many of these software providers will be forced to step up in the areas where they have been lacking.
CannaContent’s view: Yes, there’s a world where the largest software companies begin allowing cannabis content or transactions, but it’s more likely to kick off consolidation as cannabis software companies are bought by mainstream players.
6. Will rescheduling influence state-level marketing rules?
Not directly.
All the executive order does is direct the federal government to move forward with rescheduling. It does not touch state policies in any way, shape, or form. However, eventually, the direct effects of rescheduling may trickle down to how states choose to enforce the rules.
For example, many states have concerns about allowing ads on public property, such as a park, because doing so may jeopardize federal funds used for that property. If rescheduling addresses concerns about federal funding, maybe cannabis companies will be able to take out billboards and sponsorships in these places.
CannaContent’s view: Maybe there’s a time and a place for federal policy changes to inspire what regulatory bodies do on the state level, but a full suite of changes at the stroke of a pen? No. That won’t happen.
7. What could this mean for interstate commerce and how marketers direct messaging across state lines?
Removing cannabis from its Schedule I status is only one step (albeit a big, important one) among a great many steps necessary for true federal cannabis reform. Additional legislation would be necessary to open up interstate commerce, so rescheduling only gives us permission to dream in 2026 and beyond.
Imagine the effects that interstate commerce would have on cannabis marketing! Who we talk to, how we connect with folks, cross-border marketing… All of this shifts radically when we move out of a state-by-state model. We already advise many of our clients to think as if they’re a national brand, and this is part of the reason why.
CannaContent’s view: Let’s get through the rescheduling process first.
8. Can we mail e-commerce orders through USPS after rescheduling?
No.
There’s no single rule change that happens due to an executive order. A lot of things have to happen to unlock the ability to ship cannabis products directly to consumers, banking changes being chief among them.
Again, we look to our neighbors to the north for an example of how it can be done. In nearly all provinces, you can mail cannabis via Canada Post. However, Canada legalized federally, while rescheduling does not legalize cannabis federally in the U.S.
If — and it’s a big if — the USPS or any other entity like FedEx or UPS allow retail cannabis shipments, marketers are in for a radical change. Opening shipments will be game-changing for the consumer experience, transitioning cannabis websites from window shopping to a true order-from-home customer flow. That’s not even a remote possibility right now, though.
CannaContent’s view: No, this won’t happen with rescheduling
The bottom line: Rescheduling doesn’t change much for marketers
What the recent executive order does is simply move cannabis from the most restrictive category for substances to a less restrictive one. That in no way creates a legal cannabis utopia in the United States. The issues that marketers contend with every day are still ever-present and will not change overnight. So until the day comes when we have true legal cannabis on the federal level — complete with criminal justice reform — us marketers will continue to soldier on within the parameters we’re used to navigating.