What to expect from rescheduling – Newsletter 6/19/26

Hi all,

On Thursday I’ll be doing a Reddit AMA in the Subreddit r/marijuana. Join us starting at 1 pm ET. You’ll need a Reddit account and it should be fun.

Let’s get to the news.

Alex

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FROM WEEDWEEK

The Rescheduling hearings: What to expect

Drug historian Emily Dufton reports on what to expect from the unprecedented DEA hearings on whether to reschedule REC.

Read the story

Related: Emily and I discussed the hearings in this week’s WW Wonks webinar. You don’t want to miss this one.

• Emily also has an op-ed in the Washington Post this week on the forgotten lesson from Nixon’s war on drugs.

Also in WeedWeek:

• Newsbrief: Va. gov and lawmakers reach deal on REC sales

QUICK HITS

Federal:

• The DEA selected only opponents of legalization to present during the upcoming rescheduling hearings. The agency has also begun on-site inspections for registered businesses.
  Marijuana Moment
• The Supreme Court loosened a law barring cannabis users from owning guns.
  USA Today
• The National Restaurant Association called for Congress to save hemp beverages from the coming ban. Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Tx.) is circulating legislation to do that. The industry has a new campaign The Goodness of Hemp.
• Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin (R) has invested in a kratom company.
  NY Times

Business:

• California-based Glass House said it would decouple its MED and REC businesses and follow MSO Trulieve to the public market. MSOs Curaleaf and Cresco Labs said they would rather allow investors to value their entire businesses.
  Cultivated
• Recent Trulieve president Jason Pernell said he will lead Harvest Enterprises, the MSO’s now separated REC business.
• Acquisitive MSO Vireo Growth acquired C21 Investments, expanding its Nevada presence.
• Online dispensary menu provider Dutchie added Consumer AI, a suite of services.
• Washington DC City Council is preparing to assess several weed-related bills.
  The Outlaw Report
• Michigan regulator Brian Hanna is the new president of the board at the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA).
• “The case for cannabis businesses being good neighbors.“
  Berkshire Eagle
• The Wall Street Journal reports on the largely unregulated ketamine industry. Like MED, ketamine is a schedule III drug.

State and local:

• Massachusetts capped cultivation licenses, while growing the number of retail licenses. Meanwhile the REC ban initiative appears set to come before voters.
  MJBiz, CommonWealth Beacon
• In New York, an industry coalition is opposing a new union-backed law to establish a minimum wage for the industry.
  Albany Times-Union
• Illinois moved hemp products into the licensed supply chain.
  @GovPritzker
• Axios has the latest on dueling rulings over Texas’ hemp industry.
• An Oregon operator dropped a federal lawsuit challenging the ban on interstate trade.
  Bloomberg
• Rhode Island has a new top regulator, Michelle Reddish.
  News from the States
• A federal judge blocked Ohio’s hemp ban for ten companies.
  Cannabis Business Times
• Washington state’s regulator warned rescheduling might not apply in the state.
  MJBiz

Health and science:

• The Washington Post has seven takeaways from new research on cannabis and brain health.
• The Atlantic reports on moms who get high.
• A survey of Washington state teens found most thought compliant packaging appealed to them, despite bans on packaging with teen appeal.

Fun and interesting:

• Reupping this post from former WW California editor Donnell Alexander on how to celebrate Juneteenth with herb.
  LA Taco
• @beardbrospharms posted this LA munchies map.

CALIFORNIA HITS

State:

• Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) director Clint Kellum discussed rescheduling.
  Cannabis Wire
• Several bills would revise state laws.
  The Marijuana Herald

Local:

• A federal judge ruled the Round Valley Indian Tribes can proceed with a lawsuit involving raids by Mendocino County authorities.
  Courthouse News Service
• A helicopter over southern Humboldt recalled an earlier era of surveillance.
  KymKemp.com
• Sacramento expanded dispensary buffer zones. Nearby Marysville narrowed its buffer zones.
  KCRA
• A new tax measure appears headed for the ballot in Guadalupe (Santa Barbara Co.)
  Santa Maria Sun
• UK writer Charlie Harris has a new book: Mendo: The rise and fall of an American narcostate.