Federal Policy

Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford (R) has introduced legislation to prohibit cannabis operators from deducting business expenses from their taxes, even if cannabis were to be federally rescheduled under federal law.

In a letter to Elon Musk, the chairman of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called for an end to raids by the DEA and CBP on state-legal cannabis businesses.

Two cannabis industry groups, the National Cannabis Roundtable and the U.S. Cannabis Council, announced they are combining to form the United States Cannabis Roundtable (USCR), aiming to become “a singular voice” representing the industry.

The judge who was set to oversee the long-anticipated hearing for testimony for/against the rescheduling of cannabis has postponed the hearing for at least three months amidst new legal challenges brought against the DEA.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has reaffirmed that the federal prosecution of Patrick Darnell Daniels Jr. for illegally possessing a firearm while having also consumed cannabis was a violation of his Second Amendment rights.

Cannabis reform proponents have again requested the removal of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from the rescheduling hearing coming later this month, citing new evidence the agency might seek to “subvert the process” and “thwart” the rescheduling process.

The FDA has sent letters warning manufacturers of products containing amanita mushrooms that the products, which are often marketed as psychedelic and sold in gas stations or smoke shops, violate federal law.

In a letter last week, sixty-six members of Congress asked President Joe Biden (D) to use his clemency powers to “address longstanding injustices” in the U.S. legal system during the final months of his presidency.

A new draft of the Farm Bill includes language aimed at closing intoxicating hemp loopholes, but stops short of setting per-serving or per-container limits for hemp-derived THC.

USDA officials last week delayed the enforcement of a rule requiring consumer hemp products to be tested by labs registered with the DEA; it’s the third year in a row that officials have delayed enforcing the rule.

A chief administrative law judge ruled Thursday to delay the DEA’s hearing for expert testimony on the rescheduling of cannabis under federal law until likely January or February 2025.

A lawsuit filed on behalf of eight licensed New Mexico cannabis operators alleges that federal agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs & Border Protection unlawfully seized state-legal cannabis products and cash, violating the companies’ Fifth Amendment right to due process.

The American Institute of CPAs is asking the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to provide tax guidance for cannabis businesses as the Biden Administration moves to reschedule cannabis under federal law.

The Army has updated its policies to officially ban the use of delta-8 THC and other intoxicating hemp products by soldiers.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments over whether a truck driver who was fired for failing a drug test after using a CBD product advertised as containing no THC can sue the manufacturer under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.

In a recent campaign agenda update discussing plans “to deliver for Black men and their families,” Vice President Kamala Harris (D) pledged to federally legalize cannabis if she is elected to be the next U.S. president.

Democratic U.S. Representatives Jarrold Nadler (D-NY) and Fran Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) this week called on DEA head Anne Milgram to take “swift action” in moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law.

A recent report sponsored by the CDC says the federal government should be more involved with cannabis policy as more and more states enact reforms to end prohibition.

Senators in the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee this week passed the DOOBIE Act, which would guarantee that applicants for federal positions or security clearances are not denied due to past cannabis use.

Former President Richard Nixon — who is credited with launching the drug war — said in a recently uncovered 1973 White House recording that cannabis was “not particularly dangerous” but that legalizing it would be “the wrong signal at this time.”

The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is launching a new Local Emphasis Program to investigate and identify potential workplace hazards in the Colorado cannabis industry.