The long-awaited, and recently leaked, news that DEA would begin the process of rescheduling marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III became a reality yesterday when DEA issued a formal notice of proposed rulemaking. As we have said before, this is a potentially monumental development in the cannabis industry, and we’re just now beginning to understand the ripple effects. 

The notice itself is 92 pages, and we will provide a full recap next week. If you have a couple of hours and a craving for reading dense legal and scientific prose (without the wit and culture you’ve come to expect from Budding Trends), here is a link to the notice. I won’t tell anyone if you wait to read our recap.  

The public will now have approximately 60 days to submit comments on the proposed rule and to request a public hearing. Something tells me there may be a fair amount of feedback. More to come, so strap in. 

Photo of Whitt Steineker Whitt Steineker

As co-chair of Bradley’s Cannabis Industry team, Whitt represents clients in a wide range of cannabis issues. In addition to providing a full suite of legal services to cannabis companies, Whitt and the Cannabis Industry team advise non-cannabis clients – from banks to…

As co-chair of Bradley’s Cannabis Industry team, Whitt represents clients in a wide range of cannabis issues. In addition to providing a full suite of legal services to cannabis companies, Whitt and the Cannabis Industry team advise non-cannabis clients – from banks to commercial real estate companies to insurance companies and high net worth individuals – on best practices for interacting with cannabis companies.

Whitt is one of the leading voices in the cannabis bar – recognized as a “Go-To Thought Leader” by the National Law Review. He has presented on cannabis issues at conferences around the country.  His work has been featured in the National Law JournalLaw360, and the Westlaw Journal. And he has been quoted in an array of legal and mainstream publications from Law360 and Super Lawyers to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Associated Press.