{"id":86183,"date":"2026-06-24T12:20:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T20:20:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/06\/24\/dea-judge-sets-testimony-schedule-for-marijuana-rescheduling-hearing-starting-next-week\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T19:45:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T03:45:45","slug":"dea-judge-sets-testimony-schedule-for-marijuana-rescheduling-hearing-starting-next-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/06\/24\/dea-judge-sets-testimony-schedule-for-marijuana-rescheduling-hearing-starting-next-week\/","title":{"rendered":"DEA Judge Sets Testimony Schedule For Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing Starting Next Week"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n<p>A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) judge has issued an order laying out the schedule for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/dea-judge-issues-order-laying-out-process-for-marijuana-rescheduling-hearing-starting-this-month\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">hearing on the Trump administration\u2019s move to reschedule cannabis<\/a> that is set to start next week.<\/p>\n<p>Under a previous decision by the DEA administrator, only opponents of the reform are being invited to participate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPursuant to the Preliminary Order issued by this tribunal on June 18, 2026, the Designated Parties have timely submitted their availability for the hearing window,\u201d DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Derek Julius wrote on Wednesday. \u201cThis tribunal has given due consideration to each Designated Party\u2019s availability and has concluded that the following schedule will be best suited.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The overall schedule for presentations by the parties is as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Government: June 29, 2026<\/li>\n<li>National Drug &amp; Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA): July 2, 2026<\/li>\n<li>Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM): July 6, 2026<\/li>\n<li>DUID Victim Voices: July 7, 2026<\/li>\n<li>Kenneth Finn, M.D.: July 8, 2026<\/li>\n<li>Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI): July 10, 2026<\/li>\n<li>Phillip A. Drum, PharmD: July 13, 2026<\/li>\n<li>States of Nebraska, Idaho, Indiana, and Louisiana (The States): July 14, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The document goes on to provide a detailed day-by-day, hour-by-hour schedule for when the parties will present their cases and when the designated participants can cross-examine the government\u2019s witness and vice versa.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile this schedule is meant to serve as a detailed guide for the hearing, parties may conclude examinations early or forgo cross or redirect examinations,\u201d Julis\u2019s order says in a footnote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo the extent that a party concludes with its examination prior to the end of their scheduled time or forgoes examination, the hearing will proceed ahead of schedule to the next item for that day\u2014provided that a Designated Party will not be required to begin its case-in-chief on a different date than the one assigned above,\u201d it says. \u201cThe ALJ will make other scheduling advancement determinations on a day-to-day basis as needed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/dea-resists-testimony-from-agency-official-linked-to-report-on-marijuanas-harms-during-rescheduling-hearing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">DEA is resisting a prohibitionist group\u2019s request for an agency official to testify about the harms of marijuana<\/a> during the hearing.<\/p>\n<p>The DEA pharmacologist was previously an official witness for an earlier, subsequently cancelled hearing on marijuana rescheduling during the Biden administration. During that time, she submitted into the record a report that attempts to link cannabis consumption to psychosis, depression and impaired cognitive functioning.<\/p>\n<p>The prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana is attempting to call her for testimony during the current proceedings, but the agency is resisting that.<\/p>\n<p>DEA is technically the proponent of the proposed marijuana rescheduling rule and will fill the role of defending it during the hearing, though some cannabis reform supporters are skeptical it will effectively do so given the agency\u2019s long history of defending strict prohibition.<\/p>\n<p>DEA\u2019s seeming reluctance to ease the way for testimony from the official who\u00a0 that might focus on the potential harms of cannabis could give reform supporters some comfort, however\u2014though it remains to be seen how agency personnel it does put forth to partake in the hearing speak to marijuana\u2019s effects and the need for federal scheduling reform.<\/p>\n<p>To that end,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/marijuana-moment-asks-dea-judge-to-allow-livestreaming-of-rescheduling-hearing-for-transparent-public-access\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Marijuana Moment this seek sent a latter asking the DEA judge overseeing the proceedings<\/a> to reconsider his decision to prohibit livestreaming of the hearing.<\/p>\n<p>The ALJ last week issued a preliminary order laying out rules and timelines for the marijuana rescheduling proceedings\u2014simultaneously recognizing that \u201cnational public interest in this issue predicates towards a policy of transparency\u201d while also determining that \u201cthe hearing will not be televised, livestreamed, or broadcasted in any way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As a result, people who wish to observe the historic cannabis reform process must attend in person in Arlington, Virginia under the judge\u2019s order.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter sent to Julius on Tuesday, Marijuana Moment counsel Joseph A. Bondy noted that DEA permitted livestreaming of an earlier, subsequently cancelled hearing process on the proposal to move cannabis from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III that took place during the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat prior determination was correct. The public-interest rationale for contemporaneous access has not diminished,\u201d Bondy wrote. \u201cIf DEA believes safety, witness-management, or operational concerns now require a more restrictive access regime, those concerns should be identified and addressed through narrow conditions rather than a categorical ban.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\">\u201cLimited physical seating in Arlington is not a meaningful substitute for livestreaming. Marijuana Moment, like many members of the press and public who follow federal cannabis policy nationally, cannot rely on a handful of available seats as a practical means of observing and reporting on the hearing. That is precisely why DEA\u2019s prior livestreaming directive mattered: it allowed those physically outside the courtroom to observe the proceeding without disrupting the hearing, burdening security, or conferring party status on anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn a proceeding of this public significance, and in light of DEA\u2019s prior livestreaming directive, a public hearing is not meaningfully public if access depends on the happenstance of limited physical attendance,\u201d Marijuana Moment\u2019s attorney wrote to the DEA judge. \u201cDelayed access to transcripts is no substitute for contemporaneous observation. The press reports events as they unfold. The public evaluates government action in real time. And in a proceeding of this magnitude, transparency is not a courtesy. It is a safeguard.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cFor a substantial public audience seeking serious coverage of federal cannabis policy, Marijuana Moment is an important channel through which public understanding of this proceeding occurs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>\u2014<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Marijuana Moment\u2019s journalism is made possible by readers like you who value this work enough to support us with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/marijuanamoment\/membership\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">monthly pledges on Patreon<\/a>. If you rely on our reporting to stay informed about key cannabis developments, please help us keep doing this by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/marijuanamoment\/membership\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">becoming a sustaining subscriber today<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Backing us at the $25\/month level also gets you access to our Bill Tracker so you won\u2019t miss any important marijuana legislation in your state.<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>DEA last week announced that it had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/dea-picks-participants-for-marijuana-rescheduling-hearing-this-month-and-only-opponents-are-invited\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">selected participants for the marijuana rescheduling hearing\u2014and only opponents of the reform have been invited<\/a> to take part, some of whom have filed litigation in an attempt to block the reform. No reform supporters who expressed intent to participate were invited.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dea.gov\/marijuana-rescheduling-regulatory-actions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hearing<\/a> will begin on June 29 and is set to conclude no later than July 15.<\/p>\n<p>Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in April <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/federal-marijuana-rescheduling-announced-by-department-of-justice-months-after-trump-executive-order\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">issued an order that immediately reclassified state-licensed medical cannabis<\/a>, as well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III.<\/p>\n<p>Under a separate order the acting attorney general signed, the upcoming hearing will consider more comprehensively moving marijuana to Schedule III.<\/p>\n<p>In order to be considered for participation in the hearing, parties needed to file requests articulating their interest in the proceeding, the objections or issues they wish to be heard on and their position on those issues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe purpose of the hearing is to \u2018receiv[e] factual evidence and expert opinion regarding\u2019 whether marijuana should be transferred to schedule III of the list of controlled substances,\u201d Blanche\u2019s initial notice, filed in April, said.<\/p>\n<p>The attorney general also selected an administrative law judge (ALJ) to oversee the proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ALJ\u2019s authorities include the power to hold conferences to simplify or determine the issues in the hearing or to consider other matters that may aid in the expeditious disposition of the hearing; require parties to state their position in writing; sign and issue subpoenas to compel the production of documents and materials to the extent necessary to conduct the hearing; examine witnesses and direct witnesses to testify; receive, rule on, exclude, or limit evidence; rule on procedural items; and take any action permitted by the presiding officer under DEA\u2019s hearing procedures and the\u201d Administrative Procedures Act, Blanche wrote.<\/p>\n<p>A prior hearing process on the marijuana rescheduling process that was initiated by the Biden administration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/dea-judge-cancels-marijuana-rescheduling-hearings-amid-legal-challenges-pushing-back-reform-for-at-least-three-months\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">stalled last year amid litigation over alleged improper communications and witness selection<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The current <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/drug-testing-industry-and-pharmaceutical-company-ask-court-to-pause-trumps-marijuana-rescheduling-move\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">marijuana rescheduling process is being challenged with several lawsuits<\/a> that have been consolidated by a federal appeals court. Those pieces of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/louisiana-attorney-general-withdraws-from-lawsuit-against-trump-administrations-marijuana-rescheduling-move\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">litigation against the cannabis reform have been filed by state attorneys general<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/marijuana-opponents-file-lawsuit-to-block-trump-administrations-federal-rescheduling-move\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">marijuana legalization opponents<\/a> and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/trump-is-being-sued-for-rescheduling-marijuana-by-doctors-and-a-pharmaceutical-company-who-are-aggrieved-by-the-move\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">cannabis-focused biopharmaceutical corporation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the already-enacted rescheduling of state-licensed medical cannabis is already having broad impacts.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/congressional-report-explains-implications-and-limitations-of-trumps-marijuana-rescheduling-move-for-users-and-industry\/\" data-google-interstitial=\"false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Congressional Research Service published a report on the current cannabis rescheduling move<\/a>\u00a0explaining that certified patients who possess medical marijuana from state-licensed dispensaries now have certain protections under Schedule III. \u201cThe order appears to authorize end users to possess marijuana for medical use without a CSA-compliant prescription,\u201d it says.<\/p>\n<p>The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has posted a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/new-atf-gun-form-recognizes-medical-marijuanas-federally-legal-status-under-trumps-rescheduling-move\/\" data-google-interstitial=\"false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">draft update to a gun purchase form to acknowledge the federally legal status of medical marijuana<\/a>\u00a0under rescheduling. The revised section in question\u00a0notably says that only \u201cuse or possession of marijuana for recreational purposes\u201d is federally prohibited, leaving out the prior form\u2019s mention of medical cannabis.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said they plan to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/feds-announce-marijuana-industry-tax-guidance-is-coming-as-rescheduling-takes-effect\/\" data-google-interstitial=\"false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">issue new tax guidance for the marijuana industry<\/a>\u00a0following rescheduling. The reform will benefit state-licensed marijuana businesses by allowing them to take federal tax deductions they\u2019re currently barred from under an IRS code known as 280E that doesn\u2019t apply to Schedule III substances.<\/p>\n<p>Even DEA, which has long opposed cannabis legalization and was accused of stalling the rescheduling process initiative by the Biden administration, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/dea-announces-new-marijuana-registration-forms-for-manufacturing-distribution-and-testing-businesses\/\" data-google-interstitial=\"false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">launched a registration process for state-legal marijuana businesses<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/state-licensed-marijuana-businesses-can-now-apply-for-federal-protections-using-new-dea-form\/\" data-google-interstitial=\"false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">take advantage of federal benefits that come with the reform<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Transportation, on the other hand, issued guidance saying that use of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/truckers-and-pilots-still-cant-use-medical-marijuana-even-though-trump-reclassified-it-transportation-department-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">state-legal medical cannabis is still no excuse for a positive drug test by truck drivers<\/a>, pilots and other safety-sensitive workers.<\/p>\n<p>A congressional committee recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/congressional-committee-votes-to-block-marijuana-rescheduling-even-as-trump-administration-moves-forward-with-the-reform\/\" data-google-interstitial=\"false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">voted to\u00a0block federal officials from taking further steps to carry out cannabis rescheduling<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read the judge\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/28316583-dea-marijuana-hearing-schedule\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">order<\/a> on the schedule for the marijuana hearing below:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p \/>\n<p><em>Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/dea-judge-sets-testimony-schedule-for-marijuana-rescheduling-hearing-starting-next-week\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">DEA Judge Sets Testimony Schedule For Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing Starting Next Week<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nRead More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/dea-judge-sets-testimony-schedule-for-marijuana-rescheduling-hearing-starting-next-week\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">DEA Judge Sets Testimony Schedule For Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing Starting Next Week<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) judge has issued an order laying out the schedule for a hearing on the Trump administration\u2019s move to reschedule cannabis that is set to start next week. Under a previous decision by the DEA administrator, only opponents of the reform are being invited to participate.<span class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2026\/06\/24\/dea-judge-sets-testimony-schedule-for-marijuana-rescheduling-hearing-starting-next-week\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":459,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86183"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/459"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86183"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86183\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86184,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86183\/revisions\/86184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}