Vol. 1, Ed. 55 — Wed Oct 7: DEA opens cannabis supply-chain registration, fees set

DEA opens federal Schedule III registration for state-licensed cannabis manufacturers, distributors and labs with annual fees by tier; prohibition groups ask the D.C. Circuit to block the Medicare hemp coverage plan; TTB opens comments on brewery records and labeling. For general information only — not legal advice.

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This is the New Realm Compliance Brief, Volume One, Edition Fifty-Five, for Wednesday, October Seventh.

Our top story. The Drug Enforcement Administration has opened federal registration for state-licensed medical cannabis manufacturers, distributors, and testing labs under the new Schedule Three framework. Applicants use an updated Form Two Twenty-Five, list their state licenses, and disclose any criminal or disciplinary history. The annual federal fees run by tier: three thousand six hundred ninety-nine dollars for cultivators and manufacturers, one thousand eight hundred fifty dollars for distributors, two hundred ninety-six dollars for analytical labs, and seven hundred ninety-four dollars for dispensaries, whose portal opened back in April. These federal fees come on top of existing state license fees, so any cannabis partner in a supply chain now has a new annual registration to budget for.

In other federal news, prohibition groups and a pharmaceutical company filed a brief asking the D.C. Circuit to revive their challenge to the Medicare hemp coverage plan, which offers eligible beneficiaries up to five hundred dollars a year toward low-THC hemp products. The government's response is due November fourth. And the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau opened a comment period, running through December seventh, on brewery records, beer labeling, and excise tax paperwork requirements.

Also worth noting: attorneys at McDermott Will and Schulte said the Southern Glazer's bribery investigation could serve as a template for future federal probes of pay-to-play practices in beverage distribution.

Around the states, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley each said they will vote no on Question Eight, which would repeal commercial recreational cannabis sales in November's election. Recent polling showed sixty-one percent of likely voters opposed.

On the radar: the federal hemp THC limit takes effect December eleventh, and Virginia's preliminary-feedback window on draft adult-use retail rules arrives in late October.

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