Hi all,

Happy Thanksgiving! The newsletter will be off next week but look out for a new story out before the holiday.

After that, many of us will be descending on Vegas for  MJBizCon. I’m speaking on a panel about cannabis media. If you see me, don’t be shy. 

In today’s edition:

• Federal reform in disarray

Read up,

Alex

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A controversy over the upcoming DEA hearing on rescheduling and the transition to a new Trump administration have upended assumptions about whether rescheduling will happen.

A motion filed with a DEA Administrative Law Judge alleges the DEA had “unlawful” contact with anti-legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
Marijuana Moment

The DEA judge’s choice of participants in an upcoming hearing on rescheduling “tilts towards opponents,” MJBiz reports based on a four part test ordered by the judge for who can participate in the hearing which begins December 2. MJBiz

• Banking reform also appears unlikely to pass in the lame duck congressional session.
  MJBiz

Separately, legalization supporter Matt Gaetz, who recently resigned his seat in Congress, withdrew himself from contention to be U.S. Attorney General.

In his place Trump nominated former Florida AG Pam Bondi. She previously opposed a MED legalization initiative.
NY Times

Meanwhile a proposal for the 2025 Farm Bill, which was initially supposed to be the 2023 Farm Bill, signaled bipartisan interest in killing the intoxicating hemp industry.
MJBiz

• Canna Law Blog digs into some of the nuances of the proposed House and Senate bills and how they might be enforced across state lines.

Business:

• The number of active licenses nationwide is downfrom its peak in 2022.
  CRBMonitor
• Weedmaps faces another lawsuit alleging inflated data.
  Green Market Report
• Green Market Report launched a paywall.
• Get ready for Green Wednesday, one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
  Benzinga
• Bongmaker Puffco slammed Instagram for what it sees as overpolicing weed-related content.
  Marijuana Moment
• In a tough fundraising climate, ERP software company Distru raised a $6M Series A.

State and local:

• Pending legal challenge won’t stop Nebraska from certifying the results of two MED ballot initiatives, both of which passed easily.
  Nebraska Examiner
• Most Minnesota equity applicants were denied a place in the license lottery.
  MinnPost
• Michigan pot prices hit a new low after years of decreases, putting increased pressure on dispensaries.
  FOX
• Maryland created a dashboard to track the impact of legalization.
• Georgia’s MED program will expand after hitting 25,000 patients.
  Macon Telegraph
• A New York judge ruled hemp shops can remove signs that refer to them as “illicit” businesses.
  Albany Times-Union

Health and science:

• The FDA approved clinical trials to see whether MED helps veterans with PTSD. The trial is sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies.
  The Hill

Fun and interesting:

• Chicago Italian grocery store J.P.Graziano released an infused “GiardinuEra,” in partnership with operator NuEra.
  Bar Stool Sports
• YouTuber Rosanna Pansino smoked weed grown from her father’s ashes to fulfill his dying wish.
  @people

State:

• In September the state reached a record of 12M plants in the ground, the Department of Cannabis Control said.

Business:

• California operators are embracing “dramatic tactics to stanch their steep losses.”
  Green Market Report
• Cultivated interviewed Eaze CEO Cory Azzalino about the company’s death and rebirth.
• Distributor Nabis launched in New York.
• Aaron Edelheit announced an investment in Mammoth Distribution.
• Lester Black wrote about the “monstrous problem” haunting the Emerald Triangle.
  SFGate
• Sun + Earth Certified, a non-profit certifier of regenerative organic cannabis, has partnered with retailers in California and Oregon to create an “organic section.”

Local:

• After years of debate, Sacramento city council voted to move forward with cannabis lounges.
  SacBee
• Workers at the Mission Valley (San Diego) Cannabis 21+ voted to unionize with UFCW.
• Mendocino growers started receiving annual licenses.
  DCC
• Humboldt’s excise tax is being suspended again as farms struggle.
  Mad River Union
• Santa Barbara Co. supes rejected the controversial Island Breeze project.
  Coastal View
• UCMerced’s extension school is launching weed workforce training in partnership with GreenFlower.
  GVWire
• Nevada Co. supes recognized local cannabis icon Wade Laughter.
• The Chico city council is discussing how to spend $1.5 generated from cannabis sales.
  Action News Now

Health and science:

• OG activist and entrepreneur Debby Goldsberry wrote a paper for her Master’s degree on cannabis safety.

Company milestones:

• Embarc opened a shop in San Bruno (San Mateo Co.), its 16th.