Cannabis Legalization News (April 12, 2026): Texas & Ohio Hemp Rulings, Schedule III Hold-Up, and Virginia Licensing Reality Check

DEA’s New Schedule III Portal: Historic Chance or Trap for Medical Marijuana Dispensaries?

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/259869/fan_mail/new] 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, $794 per-application fee, and key requirements, including drug codes, listing state licenses, suppliers, and all employees with access to controlled substances. Howard highlights a major liability question that effectively forces operators to disclose prior controlled-substance activity without DEA registration, raising Fifth Amendment and “trap” concerns, and notes the application window closes June 26 with expedited review within six months. He anticipates legal challenges alleging arbitrariness, ultra vires action, and post-Chevron limits, while urging operators to weigh filing now versus waiting. 00:00 Hook: DEA portal opportunity or trap 00:50 What the final rule changed 01:20 Schedule III contradiction 02:48 What operators need to know 03:47 DEA registration process 04:12 Application fee and warning 06:02 Sponsor: Collateral Base 08:33 Liability questions 09:06 Fifth Amendment concern 09:53 What happens next 12:06 Closing CTA Support the show [https://calendly.com/cannabis-industry-lawyer] Get our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3VEn9vu [https://bit.ly/3VEn9vu]

Medical Marijuana Declared Federally Legal: Schedule III Shakeup, 280E Fallout, and Illinois Dispensary Updates

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/259869/fan_mail/new] 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 update progress on opening their Pekin, Illinois dispensary while noting Illinois “social equity” status helped with licensing but not loans, creating urgent debt. They outline how rescheduling was split into two lanes, reference OLC reasoning under CSA 811(d), anticipate lawsuits and resumed hearings (June 29), and argue IRC 280E may be retrospectively disallowed around 2023. They also debate hemp loopholes, “full spectrum CBD,” checkpoints/transport issues, employment drug tests, home grow under state law, and emphasize freeing incarcerated people and building coherent cannabis rules. 00:00 Medical Legalization Shock 00:09 Show Intro and QR 00:25 Illinois Dispensary Update 01:18 420 and Channel Strikes 02:28 Why Nothing Changed Yet 03:01 DOJ Executive Action Deep Dive 06:51 Treaty Monopoly Explained 07:56 Farm Bill Hemp Loopholes 09:14 Full Spectrum CBD Debate 12:53 No Smoking and Creator Risks 14:43 Rescheduling Precedent Talk 16:51 Illinois Loan and Lawsuit Math 22:17 280E Tax Fallout 25:14 Hearing Restart June 29 26:19 Checkpoints and Federalism 27:20 Rescheduling Reality Check 27:36 Interstate Transport Risks 29:10 420 Culture and Protest 31:42 Medical Model Expansion 34:42 Hemp Loopholes and Safety 38:47 Workplace and Drug Tests 41:18 Policy Memos and Politics 43:47 Homegrow and State Compliance 50:55 Wrap Up and What’s Next 52:19 Sponsor Collateral Base Support the show [https://calendly.com/cannabis-industry-lawyer] Get our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3VEn9vu [https://bit.ly/3VEn9vu]

DOJ’s Confusing Schedule III Move: Todd Blanche’s Treaty-Based Order Explained

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/259869/fan_mail/new] Tom Howard of Cannabis Legalization News [https://cannabislegalizationnews.com/] 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 state medical marijuana licenses, while adult-use and other unlicensed/bulk marijuana remain Schedule I. Howard explains [https://howardeast.com/] how DOJ bypassed the usual §811(a)/(b) hearing process, cites HHS findings on abuse potential and withdrawal, and ties the move to treaty controls like quotas, registration, recordkeeping, and a government purchase/resale mechanism. He discusses DEA registration, research access to state medical products, 280E mentions, and forecasts legal challenges by Smart Approaches to Marijuana and Torridon Law amid the ongoing broader rescheduling docket. 00:00 Schedule Three Shockwave 01:14 Order Overview and Oddities 03:15 Treaty Based Rescheduling 05:22 Why Medical Only 07:38 Two Lane Schedule Three 10:17 HHS Science and Abuse Data 13:22 Bulk Marijuana Stays Schedule One 16:29 DEA Rules and Compliance 19:47 Research Access and 280E 21:08 Regulatory Analysis and Definitions 24:54 Naturally Derived THC Language 25:37 Lawsuits and What Comes Next 30:13 Wrap Up and Subscribe Support the show [https://calendly.com/cannabis-industry-lawyer] Get our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3VEn9vu [https://bit.ly/3VEn9vu]

420 Cannabis Legalization News: IRS Tip Taxes, Rescheduling ‘Slow Walk,’ Illinois Loans Stalled & Hemp Crackdown

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/259869/fan_mail/new] On 420 Eve, Tom [https://www.cannabisindustrylawyer.com/] and co-host discuss cannabis legalization news, [https://cannabislegalizationnews.com/] 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-enforcement by agencies like the FDA. The episode highlights Illinois delays with $40 million in promised social equity loans for 166 licensees as they struggle to open a regulated dispensary with costly requirements like full-time security, vault rules, and limited product display. Other topics include Rhode Island’s residency-requirement lawsuit delaying licensing, tariffs raising RAW rolling machine costs, a Canadian-structured cannabis company using Chapter 15 bankruptcy, Maryland and Oregon medical cannabis bills (pets and hospitalized kids), Texas hemp litigation, Virginia retail delays, and a Singapore execution for cannabis trafficking. 00:00 Show Intro and Headlines 00:53 420 Eve and Hemp Loopholes 02:01 IRS and No Tip Tax 03:06 Cannabis Culture and Activism 04:19 Trump Rogan Rescheduling Clip 06:06 Illinois Equity Loans Delayed 07:02 Hemp Influencers and Real Rules 13:01 Dispensary Build Compliance Grind 13:54 Vaults Security and Tech Stack 17:36 Rhode Island Licensing Blocked 19:29 Regulation vs Open Markets 22:16 Where Did the Culture Go 24:59 Manifesto for the Normies 25:48 Absurd Cannabis Laws 26:27 Hemp Versus Weed Divide 27:03 Canadian Bankruptcy Loophole 29:56 Debt Restructuring Basics 32:12 Puppies Kids And Cannabis 33:56 420 Store Prep Struggles 36:25 Colorado Tax Overhaul Talk 37:29 Hemp Confusion And Politics 39:58 Virginia Texas And Crackdowns 42:02 Global Penalties And 420 Sales 46:47 Kentucky Hemp Drink Rules 48:46 Live Pod Sign Off Support the show [https://calendly.com/cannabis-industry-lawyer] Get our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3VEn9vu [https://bit.ly/3VEn9vu]

Cannabis Legalization News (April 12, 2026): Texas & Ohio Hemp Rulings, Schedule III Hold-Up, and Virginia Licensing Reality Check

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/259869/fan_mail/new] 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 loopholes (Delta-9/THCA) created bad policy and market chaos, cite enforcement issues like a large hemp shipment being stopped at a FedEx center, and predict the “civil war” between hemp and regulated cannabis will end as loopholes close. They say marijuana Schedule III rescheduling is being held up in the White House, reference Roger Stone’s claim about internal blocking, and express skepticism it will move under Trump. They also warn Virginia’s coming licensing lottery will be cash- and timeline-intensive, note Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro’s projected $1.3B plan faces a Republican Senate, and mention North Carolina’s advisory report estimating a $2.2B unregulated market. 00:00 Welcome And Headlines 00:36 Newsletter And Story Rundown 04:56 Texas Hemp Injunction Explained 07:50 Shipping Loopholes And Rescheduling Doubts 09:54 Virginia Licensing Reality Check 13:36 Ohio Hemp Ruling And THCA Science 17:13 Schedule Three Stalled Politics 20:00 Illinois Policy Nonsense And PA Budget Pitch 23:16 Strain Names Teaser 23:37 Viral Strain Breakdown 24:35 Trust and Online Hype 26:04 Hemp Loophole Fallout 27:50 Licensing Lawsuit Reality 29:28 Funding Social Equity Dreams 33:22 Branding Rules by State 36:59 Dispensary Build Grind 38:24 North Carolina Market Push 40:02 Stigma and Medical Future 42:34 420 Plans and Wrap Up Support the show [https://calendly.com/cannabis-industry-lawyer] Get our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3VEn9vu [https://bit.ly/3VEn9vu]