Rescheduling means changing how strictly the government controls a drug — moving psilocybin or MDMA out of the most tightly locked-down category (Schedule I, reserved for substances with 'no medical use'). But by law, the DEA (the Drug Enforcement Administration, which polices controlled substances) can only do this after the FDA finishes its own review first. Since the FDA won't finish in 2026, the DEA can't act either. This matters because rescheduling would dramatically affect who can research, prescribe, and access these drugs.
Rescheduling is statutorily contingent on completed FDA action plus a formal DEA scientific review, neither of which can complete this year. The process cannot be short-circuited by political pressure.