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The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration rejected a September request from Colorado officials to participate in the United States' historic marijuana rescheduling process.

That's the claim made in a filing submitted Monday to the DEA's chief administrative law judge, John Mulrooney II.

The filing charges that the decision to exclude Colorado - where sales of adult-use marijuana began more than a decade ago - but include authorities from states without regulated cannabis such as Nebraska and Tennessee is one example of the DEA's bias and demonstrates why the agency should be removed from the proceedings.

Monday's filing is the latest effort by designated participants Village Farms International and Hemp for Victory to disqualify the DEA, which has "obstructed the rulemaking process at every turn."  Read story >

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• Ohio recreational cannabis sales surpassed $242 million in 2024. Read story >

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Cannabis goes national: 7 industry predictions for 2025

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Congress failed to pass marijuana reform bills, and the Drug Enforcement Administration delayed reclassifying the drug as a legitimate medicine until this year.

Voters largely rejected adult-use legalization - including in Florida, where marijuana multistate operators spent nearly $150 million in a losing effort - giving credence to the idea that easy and available reform efforts have maxed out.

Yet very big changes loom on the horizon.

Relief from the tax burden of Section 280E is closer than ever, and President-elect Donald Trump will soon become the first POTUS to have endorsed an adult-use marijuana legalization measure.

Here are MJBizDaily's seven cannabis industry predictions for 2025, including the future of crackdowns on hemp-derived THC. Read story >

How to start a successful marijuana brand in a down market

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Ryan Clark was 19 years old with a baby on the way when the Tulare County (California) Sheriff's office raided the hobbyist grower's first small-scale commercial cannabis grow: a lone plant in a house he and a few friends rented.

One thing led to another over the next two decades, and after stints running a hydroponics store and overseeing construction and cultivation for the first large, regulated operator in California's Central Valley, Clark launched his own flower business in 2021, which was considered by many a down market for cultivators.

Today, Clark is a co-owner and head cultivator of upscale (and profitable) flower brand Bosky Genetics in Woodlake, California, in the same county policed by the sheriffs who raided his house as a teenager.

Clark launched the company with a $2.6 million startup budget, cash secured via a five-year loan from a private investor. Read story >

Keef Brands bubbles to top of competitive cannabis beverage sector

Photo courtesy of Keef Brands

Keef Brands is tapping into the growing demand for cannabis-infused beverages.

The Colorado-based company's sales from January through August totaled $18.9 million - up 26% from $15 million during the same period last year in markets tracked by Headset, a Seattle-based cannabis data analytics firm.

Revenue in the cannabis beverage category grew an impressive 11% during the year ended June 2024, according to a Headset study.

Keef has more than 70 stock-keeping units (SKUs), which include gummies, oils, vape cartridges and non-carbonated beverages – but carbonated sodas are the brand's bread and butter, accounting for about 80% of the company's overall sales.

Keef's hemp-derived delta-9 THC business is another factor contributing to the company's growth. Read story >

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More Headlines

• Fight over disputed Arkansas medical marijuana permit escalates. Read story >
• Farm bill protections remain for hemp amid federal budget chaos. Read story >
• THCA flower seizures lead to $735k settlement for Tennessee hemp businesses. Read story >
• Agrify sells cultivation business for $7 million. Read story >
• Hawaii governor protects medical marijuana caregivers with executive order. Read story >
• Nevada Titus, Minnesota's Omar take over Congressional Cannabis Caucus. Read story >
• Alabama medical marijuana agency's grievance process inadequate, court says. Read story >
• California issues list of approved pesticides for cannabis cultivation. Read story >
• Massachusetts hires new cannabis chief; Arkansas' medical marijuana regulator resigns. Read story >
• No banking protections from current congress. Read story >

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