U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)

March has been a big month for cannabis reform and the $40 billion state-regulated marketplace.

President Biden mentioned cannabis reform and his administration’s efforts to reschedule the substance in his State of the Union address—a historic first for any U.S. president. Vice President Kamala Harris held a cannabis event in the White House, where

On January 12, 2024, a 252-page memorandum from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (“HHS”) was publicly released. This memorandum, dated August 29, 2023, portends a potential monumental shift in the regulation of marijuana under federal law and recommends that marijuana be regulated under schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”). The

Politico and Bloomberg both reported today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is officially recommending that marijuana be moved to Schedule III from Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), a historic shift that indicates the top health agency no longer considers cannabis to have high abuse potential with no

Cannabis: In Focus

  • VA Continues to Prohibit Doctors from Prescribing Cannabis to Veteran Patients
  • NY Judge Issues Court Order to Halt Cannabis Business Licensing
  • DEA Email Suggests DEA Considers Delta-8 THC a Controlled Substance
  • THC Testing Class Action Claims Proceed against Cannabis Company

Continue Reading Cannabis Legal Report – Week of August 14, 2023

Cannabis: In Focus

  • Congressional Activity—New Hearing and Bipartisan Bill on Hemp
  • Vermont Cannabis Cultivators Refused Federal Relief After Floods
  • DEA to Request Timeline for Administration’s Scheduling Review of Cannabis

Continue Reading Cannabis Legal Report—Week of August 7, 2023

The Coalition for Cannabis Scheduling Reform (CCSR) recently released its comprehensive report on the federal classification of cannabis, co-authored by Perkins Coie Cannabis industry group co-chair Andrew Kline, with support from associate Tommy Tobin, and edited by paralegal Hanna Barker Mullin.

CCSR makes the case in its report that marijuana is improperly placed in the

Cannabis: In Focus

  • DEA Announces New Guidance for Synthetic Cannabinoids
  • Oregon To Hold Landowners Responsible for Illegal Cannabis Grow Operations
  • States Provide State-Level Tax Relief to Cannabis Businesses
  • D.C. Superior Court Rules Cannabis Odor Constituted a Nuisance
  • New Suit Alleges Illicit Cannabis Operations Harm State-Legal Retailers

Continue Reading Cannabis Legal Report—Week of June 19, 2023

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra shared during a press conference on June 15 that relevant federal agencies are working to complete their administrative review of cannabis scheduling this year, according to Marijuana Moment.

Last October, President Biden took the historic step of directing his administration to “expeditiously” review

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released new guidance on sourcing and product quality to companies conducting clinical research related to the development of human drugs involving cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds. The agency’s nonbinding recommendations highlight potential opportunities for clinical researchers and sponsors of investigational new drugs after the 2018 Farm Bill significantly altered the regulatory landscape applicable to cannabis products.Continue Reading FDA Releases Guidance on Clinical Research into Cannabis-Derived Drugs