The IRS Wants Its 280E Refunds Back — TerrAscend Sued for $8.3 Million
The 280E refund gold rush just met the collections department. The Department of Justice is suing multistate operator TerrAscend for $8.3 million plus interest, arguing the refund it collected on amended returns was “erroneous” because the deductions were barred by Section 280E (the docket is here; MJBiz coverage here). TerrAscend received the money in June […]
Pentagon: Rescheduling Doesn’t Change the Military Marijuana Ban
If you serve, you still can’t smoke. That is the entire message of a one-page Department of War memo, dated July 9 and obtained by Marijuana Moment, reminding senior Pentagon leadership that the military marijuana prohibition survives federal rescheduling completely intact. The department “maintains a drug-free workplace to protect national security, public safety, and operational […]
Schumer’s Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act Is Back — With Union Muscle
One day after the DEA closed the record on rescheduling, Congress raised the bid. On July 16, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Cory Booker and Ron Wyden reintroduced the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act — the comprehensive bill that would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act entirely. Not Schedule III. Not a […]
The Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing Is Over — Now One Judge Decides
The marijuana rescheduling hearing is over. After two weeks of testimony at DEA headquarters in Arlington, the evidentiary hearing on moving marijuana to Schedule III wrapped up on July 15 — and here is what a searcher actually wants to know: Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius gave participants until August 17 to file post-hearing […]
The KIDS Act Passed the House — and It Quietly Hits Cannabis Ads
KIDS Act: A Hidden Cannabis Advertising Ban If you run cannabis advertising anywhere online, a “kids’ safety” bill you probably didn’t read just became your problem. On June 29 the U.S. House voted 267–117 to pass the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act, and buried in the text is a provision that could seriously […]
DEA Rescheduling Hearing, Week Two: A Pain Doctor Takes the Stand
DEA Rescheduling Hearing: Week Two Testimony The DEA rescheduling hearing came back from its Fourth-of-July recess and kept doing the thing that still surprises people: the government is building the record for moving marijuana to Schedule III. The two-week administrative proceeding recessed July 3, reconvened July 6, and runs no later than July 15. Week […]
A New Bill Would Create Federal Weed Scholarships at HBCUs
Congress wants to put cannabis education money where the first wave of legalization didn’t. A new bill called the EDUCATE Act would create a federal cannabis scholarship program at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving Institutions — up to $10,000 a year for students studying the agricultural science behind the plant. Filed June 23 […]
Congress Wants the Air Force and Marines to Take Cannabis Recruits
The military’s recruiting crisis is doing what decades of advocacy couldn’t. A new provision in the defense bill would push the Air Force, Space Force, and Marine Corps to create permanent military marijuana waivers for recruits who test positive for THC — bringing them in line with the Army and Navy, which already do it. […]
The SAFE Banking Act Is Back — Senate and House, Same Week
It’s reunion season for the cannabis industry’s most-introduced bill. The SAFE Banking Act was reintroduced in both chambers of Congress within 24 hours: the Senate version on June 24 and the House companion on June 25. The core fix is the same one operators have begged for since 2019 — stop federal regulators from punishing […]
The White House Just Asked Congress to Save Hemp Before the November Ban
In a move almost nobody saw coming, the White House told Congress to protect hemp products before a broad federal ban kicks in this November. On June 25, OMB Director Russell Vought sent House Speaker Mike Johnson a letter asking Congress to ensure the “fair treatment of hemp products” — by passing a real regulatory […]