Mitchel Chargo Offers Insights on the DEA's Anticipated Historic Move to Reclassify Marijuana

The Business of Cannabis cited Hinshaw partner Mitchel Chargo's recent Hinshaw Alert, discussing the anticipated and historic drug policy change by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug. Media reports indicate that the DEA will make the change later this year.

Chargo said that rescheduling cannabis could create an additional disconnect between federal and state laws, which he explained in the Hinshaw Alert on the DEA's decision:

"The FDA has no oversight of marijuana products developed and sold under state cannabis programs. Nor do states require the same level of detail in the production standards as the federal government. Therefore, there is a direct conflict between the state-level adult recreational use and medical programs and federal law."

The Business of Cannabis highlights Chargo's point that it remains unclear whether rescheduling would prohibit cannabis from being sold in dispensaries across the country and that it fails to address other issues like access to banking, insurance, and transportation.

Read the full article.

• "Anti-Cannabis Group Prepares Legal Challenge to DEA's Cannabis Rescheduling" was published by Business of Cannabis on May 3, 2024.

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