The end of marijuana prohibition is coming. But how the federal policies will change could have a dramatic effect on the nation’sburgeoning legal marijuana businesses, which could fall victim to the same scourge that has hampered so many other nascent industries: regulations.

At the end of this month, the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration will announce their decision whether or not to reclassify marijuana under theControlled Substances Act. The agencies did not give a hint as to which way they are leaning, but there are a number of moves they could take–the plant could be de-scheduled completely like alcohol or tobacco; it could remain as a Schedule I drug (it’s current classification) or some of the plant’s active chemicals could be rescheduled while the whole plant could remain illegal.

What’s Worse Than Pot Staying Illegal? Pot as an FDA-Regulated Drug