Vol. 1, Ed. 42 — Thu Sep 24: GAO flags gaps in federal drug scheduling process

GAO finds gaps in DEA and FDA drug scheduling procedures; a 59-group alcohol coalition urges a permanent U.S.-Canada deal before the September 29 import order; Missouri's Supreme Court hears a cannabis license-scoring case. For general information only — not legal advice.

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This is the New Realm Compliance Brief, Volume One, Edition Forty-Two, for Thursday, September Twenty-Fourth.

Our top story: the Government Accountability Office says the federal drug scheduling process has gaps. In a report published Wednesday, the watchdog found the Drug Enforcement Administration has no written policies for how its staff evaluate or schedule substances, and the Food and Drug Administration lacks procedures for the scientific analyses behind scheduling recommendations. The report said these gaps may pose a risk to consistent operations, and it arrives while the D E A's review of moving marijuana to Schedule Three remains open. The G A O recommended both agencies adopt comprehensive written procedures.

In other federal news, the Toasts Not Tariffs coalition, representing fifty-nine national and state alcohol organizations, sent a letter to President Trump urging a permanent deal with Canada to restore beverage alcohol market access on both sides of the border. The letter comes ahead of Monday, September Twenty-Ninth, when a presidential order excluding most bottled Canadian wine, spirits and beer from importation takes effect.

Also in Washington, Representative Valerie Foushee of North Carolina and Delegate James Moylan of Guam filed a bill that would treat alcohol and cannabis as high-risk advertising categories, requiring large digital platforms to verify those advertisers with identity and business documentation before their ads run.

Around the states: the Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on whether regulators must award thirteen cannabis facility licenses over the state's flawed twenty-nineteen application scoring. And in Wisconsin, the Oshkosh Common Council voted unanimously to set a twenty-one-plus minimum age to buy or possess intoxicating hemp products, with retailers required to check photo I D.

On the radar: the Canadian alcohol import exclusion takes effect September Twenty-Ninth, and the federal hemp redefinition takes effect December Eleventh.

Full details and source links are in today's email. This update is for general information only — it is not legal advice.