Why Data, Insurance, And Proving Cannabis Is Medicine Matter More Than Schedule III

The federal government’s move to reclassify cannabis has created a rare moment of clarity and confusion at the same time. Medical cannabis is now federally legal within a defined lane, DEA oversight is poised to expand, and the long‑sought integration of cannabis into mainstream healthcare suddenly feels closer than ever. The shift raises three urgent questions: how the DEA will scale its role, how the industry will generate the data needed for insurance coverage, and how patients will navigate a system that is finally beginning to acknowledge their needs.

These themes took center stage during The Medical Lane panel at last week’s IgniteIt Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago, where Dentons partner Eric Berlin moderated a discussion with Victoria Walker of Leafwell, Cresco Labs (OTC: CRBLF) CEO Charlie Bachtell, and Anja Biosciences CEO and Charlotte’s Web (OTC: CWBHF) co-founder Joel Stanley.

DEA Oversight Will Expand, but the Framework Already Exists

One of the most consequential unknowns is how the DEA will manage quota, registration, and chain‑of‑custody requirements for a vastly larger universe of Schedule III cannabis operators. Stanley, whose company holds one of the few Schedule I manufacturing registrations, said the agency is not starting from scratch.

“Quota is how much of a controlled substance you are allowed to produce,” he explained. “The DEA facilitates quota‑requested transactions between entities, and they actually do a really good job with that already.”

The challenge is scale. Moving state‑licensed medical cannabis into Schedule III will require the agency to grow its capacity quickly. Still, Stanley was optimistic. 

“As it moves to Schedule III, it’s going to have to scale up so that it works for the industry,” he said. “I think that it can. I really do.”

Bachtell agreed that the structure is unusual but workable. 

“It was a little bit different than I think any of us anticipated,” he said. “But we do know that the federal government has issued a final rule making state-licensed legal medical cannabis federally legal.” 

For him, that fact alone marks a historic shift.

Data Will Determine Access, Insurance Coverage, and Market Growth

If rescheduling opened the door, data will determine who gets to walk through it. The final order emphasizes real‑world outcomes, and insurers will demand evidence before covering cannabis‑based therapies.

Walker said the industry has only half the picture today. 

“We have tons of patient data on the conditions they are working to treat,” she said. “What we don’t necessarily have is what they’re using to treat it and how it’s working.”

She believes the gap can close quickly. 

“It could be months, definitely not years,” she said. “It’s just a matter of bringing those datasets together.”

Bachtell was direct about what that data could unlock. 

“The most impactful change would be insurance coverage, without a doubt,” he said. “That would be the most impactful thing that could happen.”

Stanley added that the CMS/CMMI program for coverage for full‑spectrum CBD is already building the evidence base. 

“Data and evidence are the new currency for cannabis,” he said. “We’re not trying to legalize anymore. We’re trying to integrate what we know has always been a medicine into Western medicine.”

Patients Stand to Benefit Most, but Only if the System Supports Them

Walker emphasized that rescheduling has cultural consequences as well as regulatory ones.

“Rescheduling just gave Americans permission to use cannabis,” she said. “We’re hoping that the floodgates open.”

Even in adult‑use states, she noted, medical programs remain essential because patients want guidance, structure, and protection. 

“It’s scary to walk into a dispensary knowing nothing and trying to figure out how to navigate whatever ailment you’re trying to fix,” she said. “Physicians will continue to be a big part of this process.”

Asked who wins in the Medical Lane, Walker didn’t hesitate. 

“I think patients win. Consumers win,” she said. “People aren’t going to have to whisper about it anymore.”