Cannabis was first prohibited at the federal level in 1937 via the enactment of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. The 1937 measure would later be replaced by the Controlled Substances Act in the early 1970s, which kept cannabis federally prohibited.
The cannabis plant remains prohibited at the federal level to this day, being classified as a Schedule I substance. Schedule I substances are described by the DEA as ‘having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.’
Obviously, that description of cannabis is ridiculous, with a growing body of scientific evidence demonstrating that cannabis does indeed possess medical value. Furthermore, cannabis is far less addictive compared to federally legal substances like tobacco and alcohol, and is also much safer.
Currently, two dozen states have adopted adult-use cannabis legalization measures, and forty states have adopted medical cannabis legalization measures. Washington D.C. has legalized cannabis for both recreational and medical use. Yet federal cannabis prohibition remains in place.
NuggMD, a medical cannabis telehealth platform, recently conducted a survey asking cannabis consumers, “Do you expect cannabis to be federally legalized during the next three years?” Below are the survey results.
“The NuggMD Cannabis Consumer Poll surveys a validated, representative sample of 1.2+ million cannabis consumers who live in state-legal markets.” NuggMD stated about its methodology. The survey was conducted between July 31 to August 2, 2025, had a 95% confidence level, and a margin of error of 4.96%.
Only time will tell if/when federal cannabis policy will evolve. In the meantime, more states will presumably modernize their cannabis policies to permit medical and/or recreational use, current state-level industries that are already legal will continue to succeed, and many other countries around the world will reform their own laws.
The Pew Research Center recently conducted a nationwide survey in the United States, and the survey found that only 12% of adults in the U.S. think that cannabis should be completely prohibited.
“The vast majority of Americans support legalizing marijuana in some way, according to a January-February 2025 Center survey. Around nine-in-ten U.S. adults say either that marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use (54%) or that it should be legal for medical use only (33%).” stated Pew Research Center about its findings.
“Another 12% say the drug should not be legal at all. These views have held relatively steady over the past six years.” Pew Research Center also stated.
A recent market analysis and report by Vangst Staffing and Whitney Economics determined that the legal cannabis industry in the United States sold roughly $30.1 billion worth of cannabis products in 2024, including infused drinks and beverages. The report also found that the legal U.S. industry supports 425,000 full-time jobs.