DEA

The DEA has reportedly agreed to reschedule cannabis under Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, in accordance with the FDA’s recent recommendation. While this development could loosen financial restrictions for brands operating in state markets, advocates have pointed out that it does not resolve the ongoing social injustices surrounding cannabis criminalization, and that it could benefit larger corporate entities that are angling to dominate the market.

Eight months after the federal Department of Health and Human Services recommended moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, a coalition of Congressional lawmakers this week urged the DEA to make its decision as quickly as possible.

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said during testimony before a House committee this week that there’s “no reason” for the DEA to “delay” its cannabis rescheduling decision.

Twelve Senate Democrats have urged the Biden Administration to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, countering a recent HHS recommendation for Schedule III that is currently being reviewed by the DEA.

Is the DEA planning to change the scheduling status of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act? In a leaked letter to Congress, the agency has asserted their control over any decision about rescheduling or descheduling the plant.

After Georgia made it legal for pharmacies to dispense low-THC cannabis oils in October, the Drug Enforcement Administration has apparently sent warning letters to several pharmacies in the state.

Fourteen Republican lawmakers have sent a letter to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, urging the agency to reject the recent Department of Health and Human Services recommendation to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law.

In a letter to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) asked why the agency has not taken steps to reconsider cannabis’ status as a Schedule I substance.

A recently revealed letter confirms that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration considers delta-8 THC that has been synthesized from hemp-derived CBD — so, the vast majority of consumer delta-8 products — to be federally illegal.

Cannabis research company MMJ International Holdings is preparing a lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for allegedly failing to follow federal law as it concerns the cultivation of pharmaceutical cannabis.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) appears to support considering synthetic cannabinoids that contain THC — including hemp-derived delta-8 THC — as controlled substances under federal law, according to a recent agency conference presentation.

The DEA declared this week that novel cannabinoids including delta-9 and -8 THCO are illegal, even when sourced from federally legal hemp crops.

DEA Museum historian Kasey Sease, Ph.D. admitted that the reasons for criminalizing drug use were based on racial, ethnic, and class prejudice. 

DEA pharmaceutical cannabis license-holder Biopharmaceutical Research Company has raised $20 million in its Series A funding round. 

Shane Pennington is the New York-based counsel for Vicente Sederberg LLP, a national cannabis law firm that represents cannabis industry clients and works on state and local cannabis policy reform.

The DEA reported an uptick in cannabis arrests and seizures for last year, marking the highest federal enforcement figures since 2011.

Police arrested activists outside of the headquarters of the DEA as they protested the agency’s refusal to let terminally ill patients access experimental drugs like psilocybin and MDMA.

Maridose LLC, based in Florida, is close to obtaining DEA approval to cultivate cannabis for research purposes in Maine.

While a recent DEA letter appeared to suggest that cannabis material containing less than 0.3% THC is federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill, legal experts still caution against sending seeds, clones, and other byproducts by mail.

The DEA will recognize cannabis seeds as legal products under the 2018 Farm Bill so long as the seeds themselves do not exceed the 0.3% THC limit.

Two companies have accused the DEA of delaying the application process for bulk cannabis manufacturing in the production of cannabinoid-based pharmaceuticals.

A U.S. House proposal is seeking to reform the 2018 Farm Bill by increasing THC limits in hemp products, removing DEA lab testing requirements, and eliminating drug-related licensing restrictions.

Groff North America Hemplex and BRC, two cannabis cultivation firms, have harvested federally sanctioned cannabis for research purposes, ending a 50-year monopoly by the University of Mississippi.