FDA head says there’s no reason to wait on rescheduling

FDA HEAD SAYS LET’S GO
The head of the FDA said there’s ‘no reason’ to delay cannabis rescheduling

What happened: Robert Califf, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration said there’s “no reason” for the Drug Enforcement Administration to delay rescheduling cannabis at a Congressional hearing yesterday.

Califf was responding to questions from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and others as to the rescheduling timeline.

What they’re saying: “Without revealing too much about my age, I’m a child of the sixties so it’d be nice if, in my lifetime, we came up with a regulatory scheme where — whatever your belief is about use of the product — where the safety issues that you refer to are written into law so that we have a scheme whereby we can regulate it,” Califf said at the hearing. 

Back up: The Department of Health and Human Services recommended that cannabis be moved from the most restrictive Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, to the less restrictive Schedule III last year. 

The ball is in the DEA’s court to actually make that change — and these reviews can take years, not months. So don’t hold your breath. 

Still, while moving cannabis to Schedule III falls well short of legalization, it would go a long way toward normalizing the industry by removing the 280E tax. 

-JB

59% of regular cannabis consumers say they’d vote for a pro-cannabis presidential candidate in November — regardless of the party they represent. And, 56% of survey respondents said the Democrats have better ideas for cannabis policy, compared to just 16% for Republicans

That’s according to a new poll of 635 likely and committed voters from NuggMD, a cannabis telemedicine platform. See the full results ». 

New York State cannabis regulators approved 101 new cannabis licenses in a meeting yesterday, though they got an earful from license-holders about opening delays, communication lapses, and all the other New York cannabis stuff people are pissed about.  

A push to limit dispensaries near Washington, DC schools sputtered out, Axios reports. Some dispensaries are taking advantage of a loophole that lets them locate within 300 feet of schools if they are in a designated commercial zone. 

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said in his State of State address he wants to ban public cannabis consumption as well as delta-8 THC products, but will respect the will of the voters on legalization. 

The New Hampshire House passed a bill that would legalize cannabis in the state. The bill now heads to the state’s Senate, which prefers — along with Gov. Chris Sununu (R) — a state-run model as opposed to the bill passed in the House. 

The US Cannabis Council, an industry trade group, wants to ban intoxicating hemp products from the next version of the Farm Bill. Some companies have taken advantage of a loophole that allows the unregulated sale of hemp-derived THC products across all 50 states.

Rapper and ride-pimper Xzibit opened Xzibit West Coast Cannabis in LA’s tony Bel Air neighborhood. And he’s offering a 60% discount to nearby UCLA students.

Village Farms International appointed William Stoufer as president of Balanced Health Botanicals, replacing Chase Terwilliger.

15% of California cannabis businesses default on taxes as 2025 hike comes knocking | Cannabis Business Times

Abortion, marijuana issues face steep ballot hurdles in Florida | WPTV