Vol. 1, Ed. 49 — Thu Oct 1: DEA judge pauses marijuana rescheduling hearing

A DEA judge pauses the marijuana rescheduling hearing over a GAO report, hemp beverages hit a $300 million benchmark, Keg 1 River City moves on RNDC's Kentucky business, and Georgia takes up cannabis mail-delivery rules. For general information only — not legal advice.

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This is the New Realm Compliance Brief, Volume One, Edition Forty-Nine, for Thursday, October First.

Our top story: the D E A's chief administrative law judge, Derek Julius, has paused the marijuana rescheduling hearing. Three parties opposed to rescheduling asked to enter a recent Government Accountability Office report into the record. That report found the D E A, quote, does not have any policies or procedures regarding how its staff are to conduct evaluations or schedule substances. The D E A and the other parties must respond by October thirteenth on whether the record reopens, and the judge's recommendation on moving marijuana to Schedule Three waits on that ruling. For beverage businesses, the pause extends the uncertainty around the federal tax and banking changes that rescheduling would bring.

In national market news, research shared by N I Q, M R I Simmons, and the Dry Atlas database values the intoxicating hemp beverage business at three hundred million dollars, with relaxation and stress relief the top reasons consumers give for drinking the category. Those numbers arrive with the delayed federal hemp ban still set for December eleventh.

Around the states: In Kentucky, Brewbound reports Keg One River City will acquire Republic National Distributing Company's Kentucky business, roughly two million annual cases, with closing expected in the fourth quarter pending bankruptcy court approval. In Georgia, the medical cannabis commission met Wednesday with a vote scheduled on rules allowing licensed producers to ship products to the state's roughly forty-five thousand registered patients by mail or courier. In Massachusetts, the No on Eight campaign launched its first ads against the November ballot measure that would end licensed cannabis sales; recent polls show opposition between fifty-five and seventy-one percent. And in Pennsylvania, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman said he does not expect legalization to pass this session, while the House speaker said passage is possible next year if Democrats win the Senate.

On the radar: October thirteenth, the rescheduling filing deadline. And December eleventh, the federal hemp ban's effective date.

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