Welcome back to the Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. This week, we start with an update on the DEA hearing situation. Then, we turn our attention to New Hampshire, where the candidates for governor disagree on the future of cannabis in the state. We consider if hemp could make it into a must-pass budget reconciliation bill. And finally, Donald Trump is unhappy with Bill Maher’s use of marijuana.
DEA HEARINGS
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) tortured journey to rescheduling (or not) will continue until at least November 5. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the matter, championed by those opposing rescheduling, was allowed into the administrative record, and both sides can submit additional briefs, but there will be no more hearings. Anti-rescheduling groups have until October 29 (yesterday) to submit their briefs; reply briefs are due on November 5. Judge Derek C. Julius, the presiding administrative law judge in this matter, seems to have grown a bit weary of the calls for yet more hearings.
If the moving parties now believe the record is ‘bare where it counts,’ … that argument goes towards the ultimate question of whether the government met its burden – it does not justify reopening the hearing, which already includes over 2,500 pages of witness testimony and multiple thousands of pages of documentary evidence.”
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Alone among the New England states, New Hampshire does not allow for adult-use of cannabis. The legislature has been grappling with this issue for years, and legalization never makes it across the finish line. At one point, the state set up a commission to study the issue, the Commission to Study with the Purpose of Proposing Legislation, State-Controlled Sales of Cannabis and Cannabis Products. No group with a name that long is going to accomplish anything, just sayin’. Now, the two candidates for governor have explained their own views on the subject. Incumbent Kelly Ayotte (R) is staunchly opposed to legalization and has vowed to veto any legalization bill that crosses her desk. Her challenger, Cinde Warmington (D) supports legalization. We’ll find out next week how this all plays out.
HEMP
Absent Congressional action, hemp will become illegal on December 11. Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) is hoping he can hitch his bill to regulate hemp products to a reconciliation bill in the lame-duck session that starts after the election next week. That will require including a bill on taxing hemp products in order to meet the requirements for a filibuster-proof bill. Griffith thinks a bill sponsored by Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Tx.), the Beverage Regulatory Parity Act, could do the trick. This may be a heavy lift, considering time is short and attendance on the part of members who lose their elections may be sparse.
AND FINALLY
President Trump took to Truth Social recently to comment on Bill Maher’s appearance (not a fan) and told Maher he’s a “major POTHEAD.” It seems unlikely that this is news to Maher, who talks about his cannabis use frequently.
Be well everyone; we’ll see you next week.
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