The rescheduling of cannabis, which was finally revived by Donald Trump, President in December, may revolutionise the clinical research on cannabis.
Lack of scientifically rigorous research on cannabis’ complex effects has been the biggest barrier in its acceptance by the medical community and, in turn, in mainstream culture.
The prohibition of the hemp plant and its compounds has created many barriers for scientists to study the plant. While rescheduling could help break down these barriers, the incoming ban on ‘intoxicating hemp’ compounds is set to establish plenty more.
In 2025 President Trump will sign legislation to end the longest shutdown of government in US history. The 144-page bill contained a provision which, in less that a calendar year, could fundamentally transform, or even destroy the $28 billion American hemp industry. This new law defines hemp in order to outlaw the majority of cannabinoid products that are intoxicating, from HHC or delta-8 THC up to THCV. The law will take effect in 2026.
A new partnership, which has eleven months left on its clock, is now trying to gather rigorous scientific data about the cannabinoids’ actual effects before the long-running battle over cannabis.
The clock is ticking and traditional clinical trials are only beginning to get underway before the ban.
Standard Seed Corporation is a potentially transformative alternative. The AI-powered botanical research platform has partnered with the American Healthy Alternatives Association (AHAA), a grassroots hemp advocacy organisation, alongside a growing number of other interested companies, to aggregate consumer data, map molecular interactions, and translate complex cannabinoid science into accessible, digestible information.
According to partners, the goal of advocacy is not to promote the cause. The goal is to fill a knowledge gap that could lead regulators to make irreversible choices based on insufficient information.
Driving Blanket Bans and the Data Gap
The 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp in the United States, created an unintended loophole. This allowed for semi-synthetic compounds like delta-8THC and HHC spread across the country much more quickly than the research could keep pace with.
Europe’s experience with delta-8 THCA illustrates the issue. In 2025 when European regulators released their first position paper, they concluded that we do not know enough about the compound to regulate it differently from delta-9 THC.
The November funding bill doesn’t just target specific compounds, it creates a sweeping ‘similar effects’ standard that gives federal agencies broad authority to classify any cannabinoid that produces THC-like effects as an illegal substance.
For Kevin Kimmell, B2B Marketing Strategist at Arvida Labs, which manufactures cannabinoid products for brands including Mellow Fellow, the frustration is palpable: “We want to say, hey, this is not just frankenoids or these random cannabinoids.
We have worked with our expert scientific team for the better part of the past decade to develop and perfect a way of safely converting cannabinoids with no residue solvents or other byproducts. “We’re currently working on more scientific research to determine why people enjoy these compounds and exactly what they do.”