Cannabis stocks surged significantly on Dec. 12, 2025, thanks to reports of President Trump's plans to ease federal marijuana regulations by reclassifying it to Schedule III from a Schedule I. This news sparked gains across major players, boosting investor optimism despite no final policy confirmation.Amplify Seymour Cannabis ETF CNBS rallied more than 54% on the day for its best day on record, as mentioned in CNBC.
If reclassified, the move would allow cannabis companies to fall under different tax regulations and encourage investment. Axios reported that the potential reclassification of marijuana — from a category that includes heroin to a lower-risk tier of drugs, such as steroids and Tylenol with codeine — would materialize early next year, as mentioned in the same CNBC article..
The potential government move boosts hopes for reduced restrictions, potentially unlocking pharmaceutical acceptance, though volatility persists due to still-high regulatory uncertainties. Other ETF winners were Roundhill Cannabis ETF WEED (up 55.7% on Dec. 12, 2025), Advisorshares Pure US Cannabis ETF MSOS (up 54.3% on Dec. 12, 2025), Amplify Alternative Harvest ETF MJ (up 42.8% on Dec. 12, 2025), Advisorshares Pure Cannabis ETF YOLO (up 34.5% on Dec. 12, 2025) and Cambria Cannabis ETF TOKE (up 20.9% on Dec. 12, 2025).
Regulatory Shift Seen as Positive
Ed Groshans of Compass Point, a middle-market investment bank, said on Dec. 12, 2025 that the reported policy change would be a clear positive for the cannabis industry, particularly because it would allow banks to more easily provide services to cannabis-related businesses, as quoted on CNBC. He expects a finalized reclassification rule by the summer, if at all passed by the President.
Signs of Broader Normalization
Industry participants view these developments as meaningful steps toward normalizing cannabis under federal law. Despite increasing acceptance and easing regulations in several states, cannabis stocks have struggled since the pre-Covid boom, the CNBC article noted.
Tilray TLRY shares, for example, slumped about 84.4% over the past five years. The MJ ETF declined about 78.9% over the past five years. However, Trump’s second term has been beneficial for the space as evident from the 37% uptick in the MJ ETF and 53.9% surge in the MSOS ETF.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
