Cannabis Legalization News Podcast

Send us Fan Mail DOJ just filed a brief telling the D.C. Circuit to deny the anti-rescheduling stay motion — and the argument is brutal: the drug-testing lobby and cannabinoid pharma challengers are not protecting public health, they are protecting “pocketbook interests.” This week on Cannabis Legalization News, Tom and Miggy break down the DOJ’s new marijuana rescheduling brief, the live DEA hear...

Send us Fan Mail Tomorrow morning, the DEA opens one of the biggest cannabis hearings in federal history — and somehow the witness table is packed with prohibitionists while the cannabis industry gets zero seats. This week on Cannabis Legalization News, we break down the June 29 DEA marijuana rescheduling hearing, the one-sided panel, the lack of livestream access, and why the administrative recor...

Send us Fan Mail On a Father’s Day episode of Cannabis Legalization News, the hosts discuss running their dispensary ahead of an upcoming grand opening, including signage delays, compliance burdens, medical tax differences, pricing pressures, curbside ordering with cashless payment, and a “round up” donation program supporting Freedom Grow. They lead with a unanimous Supreme Court decision affirmi...

Send us Fan Mail On the June 14 (Flag Day) episode of Cannabis Legalization News , the hosts preview a lead story about the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association suing to pause federal cannabis rescheduling to Schedule III, arguing economic harm as federal marijuana trafficking prosecutions have dropped about 95%.  They discuss Illinois’ newly signed SB 3222, described as the biggest cha...

Send us Fan Mail Trump Signals Support for Full-Spectrum CBD as Dispensary Operators Share Compliance, Illinois Law Changes, and Market Updates Hosts of Cannabis Legalization News announce a new operator-focused segment and newsletter, discuss a White House push to keep hemp CBD legal via a narrow mention of “full-spectrum CBD,” and debate how rescheduling could affect hemp and finished cannabinoi...

Send us Fan Mail This week, as the summer starts, the federal government escalated its actions against the cannabis industry on multiple fronts, signaling a new era of enforcement and compliance pressure. We break down the "Federal War" that is separating the legal operators from the illicit market, and what the rapid pace of change—from rescheduling to tax clawbacks—means for every busi...

Send us Fan Mail The hosts discuss their Illinois dispensary passing its regulatory inspection on the first attempt, share examples of required compliance fixes (signage, plexiglass barriers, door relocation, and added redundant cameras), and describe setting up a punch-card rewards program integrated with Dutchie to prevent fraud while aiming for a smaller, fresher menu. They cover a DEA registra...

Send us Fan Mail Cannabis lawyer Tom Howard explains that a new Justice Department final rule moving medical marijuana to Schedule III did not legalize marijuana broadly but created a DEA registration portal that could make state-licensed medical dispensaries more federally compliant than ever, while leaving adult-use sales tied to Schedule I enforcement risks. He outlines the DEA portal structure...

Send us Fan Mail The hosts discuss what they describe as a major bulletin that medical marijuana is now legal nationwide when compliant with state licensing, tying it to a DOJ executive action by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. treaty obligations that would require a government monopoly over medical cannabis. They react to 4/20, YouTube channels being yanked for on-air smoking, and u...

Send us Fan Mail Tom Howard of Cannabis Legalization News analyzes Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s 33-page final order (signed April 22, published April 23) that creates a narrow, treaty-based “Schedule III” path under CSA §811(d)(1) to comply with the 1961 Single Convention. The order places two categories into Schedule III: FDA-approved marijuana drugs and marijuana covered by qualifying...

Send us Fan Mail On 420 Eve, Tom and co-host discuss cannabis legalization news, arguing the IRS is the main federal agency still enforcing marijuana laws through IRC 280E, including an IRS clarification that the “no tax on tips” deduction doesn’t apply to cannabis workers like budtenders. They cover a hot-mic clip of Trump joking that DOJ is “slow walking” rescheduling, and compare broader non-en...

Send us Fan Mail The hosts discuss cannabis legalization news dated April 12, 2026, focusing on a Texas judge granting an injunction affecting hemp/THCA policy ahead of 4/20 and an Ohio judge ruling that Ohio’s hemp restrictions are discriminatory because intoxicating cannabinoids can be sold through licensed marijuana channels but not ordinary retail when derived from hemp. They argue hemp loopho...

Send us Fan Mail The hosts recap a chaotic first week of April 2026 cannabis headlines, clarifying their April Fools clickbait about federal legalization and focusing on real developments: a new CMS/Medicare CBD program tied to the Commonwealth Project and Howard Kessler that offers limited oral-only low-THC/CBD coverage through a small number of approved vendor networks, alongside FDA non-enforce...

Send us Fan Mail Illinois Social Equity Loan Delays, Hemp/THC Crackdowns, and Shifting Federal-State Cannabis Policy The episode reviews cannabis legalization news while focusing on Illinois’s stalled social equity loan program: about 160+ applicants sought a $40 million fund, were promised decisions by January then delayed into spring, and the hosts argue the Illinois DCEO’s inaction is pushing o...

Send us Fan Mail Tom hosts another episode of Cannabis Legalization News, recapping the week’s major policy and market developments. The show covers the newly introduced bipartisan CLIMB Act (Capital Lending and Investment for Marijuana Businesses Act), which would provide safe harbor for U.S. stock exchanges and market participants to list and trade cannabis-related securities. They discuss repor...

Send us Fan Mail The hosts discuss cannabis legalization frustrations and preview stories for the week ending March 15, 2026, led by a tax court case tied to roughly $1.6B in MSO 280E-related liability, where the U.S. argues cannabis businesses fall “within the meaning” of Schedule I/II for 2016–2017 tax years, despite the ongoing rescheduling push. They note a Ninth Circuit decision that the dorm...

Send us Fan Mail Cannabis Legalization News (Mar 8, 2026): Texas Hemp Crackdown, SCOTUS & 2A, Missouri Rules, Michigan Drama The hosts deliver a casual, no-prep cannabis legalization news roundup dated March 8, 2026, focusing on Texas moving to shut down much of the intoxicating hemp market (with rules nearing publication, limiting THCA flower and vapes), and discuss a Supreme Court case where...

Send us Fan Mail This episode breaks down excerpts from a Supreme Court oral argument about whether federal law 18 USC 922(g)(3) can categorically bar “unlawful” marijuana users from Second Amendment rights under the Bruin historical-tradition test and in light of Rahimi’s dangerousness focus. It highlights Justice Gorsuch questioning whether “habitual user” is defined too loosely compared to hist...

Send us Fan Mail The hosts recap a slow week in cannabis legalization news, criticizing Donald Trump’s long State of the Union for omitting cannabis and calling rescheduling progress painfully slow. They discuss an NPR s tory linking cannabis use and psychosis, arguing association isn’t causation and that legalization with age-gating and product sourcing is a better policy response.  They cover lo...

Send us Fan Mail The cannabis world is reeling! House Agriculture Chairman Glenn "GT" Thompson's new Farm Bill draft introduces a "total THC" standard that could ban most hemp products. #cannabisnews #farmbill # 00:00 Farm Bill Markup Tomorrow: What’s Actually Changing? 01:40 Hemp Beverages & Interstate Sales: Why the Loophole Is Closing 02:19 Congress, Tariffs, and El...

Send us Fan Mail Tom hosts a live cannabis legalization news show from a soon-to-open dispensary in Pekin, giving a brief tour of the sales floor, ID check area, vault, and planned community space, and noting the shop is expected to open in about three to four weeks after a three-year licensing process. The episode covers the FDA missing a cannabinoid-related deadline while acknowledging marijuana...

Send us Fan Mail The FDA is facing a deadline next week to publish three federal cannabinoid lists and to clarify what counts as a hemp product “container” under appropriations legislation President Donald Trump signed last year. Those lists and the “container” guidance are due by Tuesday, and they matter because the law is scheduled to change federal hemp rules in November—shifting from a delta-9...

Send us Fan Mail 📰 Free Newsletter – https://bit.ly/3VEn9vu 🧢 CLN Merch https://spreadshop-admin.spreadshirt.... 🤝 Work With Us https://bit.ly/m/collateral-base 👍 Like • 🔔 Subscribe • 💬 Comment: In this educational video, attorney Tom Howard discusses the pivotal Supreme Court case of US v Hemani, which addresses the legality of cannabis users possessing firearms. Starting with background in...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, the hosts discuss the current state of cannabis legalization, focusing on its gradual normalization rather than sweeping legislative changes. Key topics include the NRA's alignment with cannabis advocates in a Supreme Court case, the proliferation of hemp THC drinks, and the emergence of city-run dispensaries. The hosts also touch on the evolution of laws reg...

Send us Fan Mail Navigating the Legal Maze of Schedule Three Cannabis Rescheduling In this special episode of Cannabis Legalization News, the intricate process of moving cannabis to Schedule Three is thoroughly examined. The host breaks down the involved statutes, rules, and legal procedures, including key milestones such as interlocutory appeals, DEA hearings, and the final rescheduling rule. The...