Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what's happening in the world of legalized marijuana. This week, we check in on the Nebraska ballot initiative situation. We have a status report on the DEA res-scheduling hearing. We note some cannabis victories in Kentucky. And finally, Matt Gaetz may be the next Attorney General of the United States.
NEBRASKA
Last week, we noted that the Nebraska ballot initiatives to legalize medical cannabis and set up a market passed. We also noted that they were the subject of a legal challenge that threatened to invalidate them. The petition circulator whose conduct was called into question has pled guilty to a misdemeanor and may face a prison sentence and/or fine. The trial has wrapped up, and the judge is currently reviewing evidence. The final post-trial brief is due on Monday, so perhaps we'll have a decisionnext week? Stay tuned.
RE-SCHEDULING
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will not hold hearings on re-scheduling cannabis until January or February of 2025. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 2, but that will cover only procedural matters, such as witness availability – no testimony. In other DEA news, a cannabis researcher is suing the agency over the re-scheduling process, alleging numerous rule violations.
KENTUCKY
Over 100 jurisdictions within the state of Kentucky voted on whether to allow or ban medical marijuana dispensaries, and none of them voted for a ban. That's a bunch of little wins for cannabis, which, compared to how things turned out elsewhere, is a bright spot for the industry.
AND FINALLY
President-elect Trump nominated Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for Attorney General this week. If you had that pick on your Trump Administration Bingo Card, hearty congratulations. The cannabis press views this positively. Gaetz is a vocal supporter of cannabis legalization, so the thinking seems to be that he'll be a powerful voice in favor of re-scheduling, banking reforms and federal legalization. Or at least that the Justice Department will take a hands-off attitude to state-legal cannabis businesses. Considering that not all of the immediate responses to the nomination have been enthusiastic, you might not want to count on any of this coming to pass. As we say so often, stay tuned!
Be well everyone – we'll be back next week.
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