DEA Judge Cancels Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing Set For Next Week
- A DEA judge has canceled a hearing to consider reclassifying marijuana under federal drug laws after allegations of improper communications with witnesses opposed to the plan.
- The hearing was set to evaluate a proposal to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the CSA, which would have significant implications for the cannabis industry.
- Cannabis policy reform advocates scheduled to testify alleged that the DEA had engaged in improper communications and witness selection.
- The DEA judge ruled on a motion from the witnesses, granting a request to file an interlocutory appeal, which has resulted in the hearing being canceled and the process delayed for at least three months.
A Drug Enforcement Administration judge has cancelled a hearing to consider the Biden administration’s proposal to reclassify marijuana under federal drug laws amid allegations that officials at the agency have conferred with witnesses opposed to the plan. Administrative Law Judge John Mulrooney canceled the hearing that was set for January 21, extending the process to ease restrictions on cannabis for at least three months, online weed news source Marijuana Moment reported on Monday afternoon.
The DEA hearing was scheduled to evaluate a proposal from the Department of Health and Human Services to change the classification of marijuana under the CSA from Schedule I, the strictest category, to Schedule III. Such a move would be significant for the state-legal cannabis industry, which would no longer be denied standard business tax deductions and would gain easier access to banking services.
On Monday, Mulrooney ruled on a motion from cannabis policy reform advocates who were scheduled to testify as witnesses at the now-canceled hearing. In the motion, the witnesses alleged that the DEA had made improper communications with groups opposed to proposed rule change to reschedule cannabis and that DEA Administrator Anne Milgram had improperly selected witnesses for the hearing. Although he denied a request to remove the agency from the proceedings, Mulrooney granted a request for leave to file an interlocutory appeal, canceling next week’s hearing and staying the process for at least three months.
Read the full article at Forbes