Newsletter
New DEA & opponent briefs in cannabis rescheduling hearing (Newsletter: October 14, 2026)
KS gov candidate: Legalize marijuana; SD AG: Rescheduling doesn’t impact medical program; NFL-funded study on cannabis stigma; Hemp THC drinks op-ed
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The Drug Enforcement Administration filed a brief saying it is fine with reopening the marijuana rescheduling hearing record to include a government report that’s critical of the federal drug review process—but it doesn’t want additional briefings on the matter, even as opponents filed a new brief seeking to further delay a decision by more broadly reopening testimony and document discovery.
Kansas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cindy Holscher, currently a state senator, said the state should legalize marijuana—and she’s criticizing her Republican opponent, Senate President Ty Masterson (R), for blocking medical cannabis legislation.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley (R) issued a legal opinion finding that “the federal rescheduling of marijuana will likely have a negligible impact on South Dakota’s medical-marijuana program.”
A new study funded by the National Football League found that long-held anti-marijuana attitudes in sports leagues are “evolving” as social trends are “driving more openness to cannabis” as an alternative to opioids for treating athletes’ pain—but ongoing stigma is creating trust issues that make it harder for medical staff to do their jobs.
- “Medical professionals, particularly younger or research-focused staff, are increasingly seeing cannabis as a safer or more effective option than alcohol, opioids, or other prescription drugs.”
Former National Football League player Micah Hyde argues in a new Marijuana Moment op-ed that Congress should regulate—instead of ban—hemp THC drinks like the ones his company produces.
- “Hemp beverages deserve the same kind of framework alcoholic beverages do. What I don’t believe is that the only two choices are an unregulated market or eliminating these products as a whole.”
NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano argues in a new Marijuana Moment op-ed that a proposed constitutional amendment on Idaho’s November ballot to block voters from ever being able to legalize cannabis is “anti-democracy.”
- “Public support for legalization is greater today than at nearly any time in our nation’s history. This reality has Idaho lawmakers, and Republicans especially, running scared.”
/ FEDERAL
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the case of a man challenging a loss of gun rights over a marijuana cultivation conviction.
The State Department and Treasury Department sanctioned people and entities that are allegedly tied to a drug cartel.
/ STATES
A Pennsylvania senator posted a video about her forthcoming bill to regulate hemp THC products.
South Dakota regulators posted proposed changes to medical cannabis rules.
Minnesota regulators published guidance about high-medical-need cannabis products.
Oklahoma’s top medical cannabis regulator authored an op-ed about ongoing efforts to oversee the legal industry.
Illinois’s top marijuana regulator spoke about a recently enacted expansion to the state’s medical cannabis program.
California regulators sent updates on various cannabis issues.
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/ INTERNATIONAL
A Romanian lawmaker withdrew his name from a bill to decriminalize drug possession.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “THC exerts broad immunomodulatory effects characterized by suppression of inflammatory and type I interferon responses while promoting cellular stress-adaptation pathways.”
A study found that “CBD was associated with sustained effectiveness and good tolerability in adults with [Lennox–Gastaut Syndrome], with high retention and improvement in seizure and other clinically meaningful outcomes.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Marijuana Policy Project published a voter guide for Pennsylvania’s upcoming elections.
/ BUSINESS
Montana retailers have sold nearly a quarter of a billion dollars worth of legal marijuana products so far this year.
/ CULTURE
Football player Jameson Williams successfully got a fine for a cannabis-smoking celebration gesture he made during a game rescinded, arguing that marijuana is legal in some states.
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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
