News & Analysis as of August 3, 2025

Decriminalization of Marijuana

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Medical Marijuana refers to the use of marijuana to treat or alleviate symptoms of certain illnesses. A growing number of states permit individuals to use marijuana on the recommendation of a physician. Despite state laws to the contrary, Federal law still prohibits the use or possession of marijuana. The conflict between state and federal law on this issue has created interesting enforcement issues and significant legal hurdles for medical marijuana providers. less -

The Week in Weed: April 2025 # 3

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on 4/18/2025

Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. This week, we see that the DEA’s rescheduling hearing is still pending. Germany’s cannabis program is likely to...more

Cannabis Rescheduling Hearings Postponed: How Did We Get Here and What Happens Next?

Vicente LLP on 2/5/2025

The much-anticipated hearings on the proposed rulemaking to reschedule cannabis, which were scheduled to begin on January 21, have been postponed for at least three months as a result of an appeal granted by DEA...more

Are Republicans Friend or Foe of the State-Regulated Marijuana Industry?

Holland & Hart LLP on 12/16/2024

With Republicans’ new trifecta of control over the White House, U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, it’s likely federal marijuana policy will change. But what could – or should – federal marijuana policy look like...more

The Week in Weed: December 2024

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on 12/6/2024

Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. This week looks a lot like our last post – updates on the DEA re-scheduling process and on the Nebraska ballot...more

The Week in Weed: November 2024 #3

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on 11/15/2024

Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. This week, we check in on the Nebraska ballot initiative situation. We have a status report on the DEA res-scheduling...more

Bridging Federal and State Cannabis Laws: Understanding the Impact of Proposed Changes and North Carolina’s Legislative Actions

Troutman Pepper Locke on 6/26/2024

Among the two most widely reported federal changes to cannabis regulation are the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) proposed regulation for the federal rescheduling of marijuana (the Proposed Rescheduling) and amendments to the...more

Advising a Cannabis-Related Business: The Importance of Attorneys in Navigating the Marijuana Regulatory Framework and Licensing...

Troutman Pepper Locke on 5/30/2024

Introduction - The medicinal and recreational use and popularity of marijuana has continuously grown throughout the U.S. since Oregon became the first state to decriminalize marijuana in 1973. To date, thirty-eight states...more

Cannabis Rescheduling: The DEA's Proposed Rule and the Supporting OLC Opinion

Vicente LLP on 5/22/2024

On May 21, 2024, the DEA finally published its proposed rule related to rescheduling marijuana and commenced a 60-day period where the public can submit comments regarding DEA's proposed move to reschedule marijuana (the...more

DOJ Recommends Rescheduling Cannabis – What This Could Mean for the Cannabis Industry

Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC on 5/16/2024

On April 30, 2024, the US Department of Justice recommended that cannabis be rescheduled as a Schedule III controlled substance, a classification shared by prescription drugs such as ketamine and Tylenol with codeine....more

Now That It Appears Marijuana Is Being Rescheduled, How Does That Process Work?

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP on 5/7/2024

As we at Budding Trends reported last week, the DEA is set to finally accept the recommendation of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the...more

DEA’s Plan to Reschedule Cannabis: Implications and Insights

McCarter & English, LLP on 5/6/2024

Earlier this week, the Department of Justice proposed reclassifying cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. The move follows an August 2023 recommendation from the Department of Health...more

Historic Shift in U.S. Drug Policy: DEA Proposes to Reclassify Marijuana

Lowenstein Sandler LLP on 5/6/2024

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is on the brink of reclassifying marijuana, marking a watershed moment in American drug policy. For decades, marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I drug, alongside...more

The Week in Weed: May 2024

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on 5/3/2024

Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. In what’s probably the biggest news in cannabis since Canada legalized, the Drug Enforcement Administration has...more

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Recommends Rescheduling Marijuana To Schedule III, Similar to Tylenol With Codeine

Jackson Lewis P.C. on 5/2/2024

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will recommend that marijuana should be rescheduled from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III drug, according to an announcement made April 30, 2024 by the U.S. Department of Justice. ...more

A Major Step Towards Reform: The DEA Recommends Rescheduling Cannabis

Amundsen Davis LLC on 5/1/2024

In a recent historic announcement, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has determined that cannabis, which is currently categorized as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), should be rescheduled to...more

4 Major Implications of Cannabis Moving to Schedule III

Vicente LLP on 5/1/2024

After 50 years of being on the most restrictive schedule alongside drugs like heroin and PCP, the DEA will move to reschedule marijuana in Schedule III, where the plant’s medical benefits will finally be recognized by the...more

Marijuana Rescheduling is Here: How DEA’s Decision Will Impact Cannabis Businesses

McGlinchey Stafford on 5/1/2024

After fifty years, the federal government finally acknowledged that marijuana has medical value and is not as dangerous as heroin. As first reported by the Associated Press and confirmed by Marijuana Moment, on April 30,...more

All the Outcomes of a Marijuana Reschedule

Husch Blackwell LLP on 1/23/2024

Between LinkedIn, Twitter, the media, and diehard marijuana investors, there is more noise and froth in the industry about a marijuana reschedule than I’ve seen since Washington and Colorado legalized it back in 2012. When...more

DEA is Going to Have a Hard Time Fighting Marijuana Rescheduling

McGlinchey Stafford on 1/17/2024

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the full text of its letter (HHS Letter) to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), recommending marijuana rescheduling from Schedule I to Schedule III....more

Top Five Countries to Watch for International Cannabis Reform in 2024

Vicente LLP on 11/8/2023

While the cannabis industry in the United States awaits a marijuana scheduling decision from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), many countries around the world continue to move forward with liberalizing their cannabis...more

DEA Likely to Reschedule Marijuana Based on Congressional Report

McGlinchey Stafford on 9/19/2023

According to a report from the Congressional Research Service (the Report), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is likely to follow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug...more

Historic Cannabis Rescheduling on the Horizon? It's Up to the DEA Now

Amundsen Davis LLC on 9/1/2023

In October of 2022, the Biden Administration started an official cannabis policy review process, which began with granting pardons to all people convicted of simple cannabis possession under federal law. At the time, this was...more

US Officially Recognizes Medical Use and Safety of Cannabis: The Top 6 Things to Know About Schedule III and the Process Ahead

Vicente LLP on 9/1/2023

On August 30, 2023, the federal government formally acknowledged the medical use and low potential of abuse for cannabis, with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommending that cannabis be rescheduled to...more

Rescheduling Marijuana: Understanding the Legal Impacts

McGlinchey Stafford on 7/26/2023

Marijuana is currently listed as a Schedule I substance in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA); this scheduling means the federal government concluded marijuana has no currently accepted medical use in any setting. This could...more

Maintaining Cannabis as a Schedule I Drug Continues to be an Increasingly Difficult Stance for the Federal Government

The Rodman Law Group, LLC on 4/27/2023

Federal Prohibition is Preventing Widespread and Additional Research The Mayo Clinic recently published a special edition of its Mayo Clinic Magazine, titled Medical Marijuana: The Science and Benefits...more

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