When I first met Martin Jelsma (retiring as Programme Director Drugs & Democracy at the Transnational Institute) in 2019, I was a law clerk who, from day one, began following developments in international cannabis policy. At the time, I was trying to understand the intricate architecture of the international drug control treaties—how they functioned, how
Tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. PT, Harris Sliwoski attorney Jason Adelstone will join fellow cannabis industry professionals for a live webinar, The Cannabis Brief LIVE: Cannabis Rescheduling After the Hearing. The discussion will examine where federal cannabis rescheduling stands following the DEA administrative hearing process, what recent developments mean for the industry, and what cannabis
Harris Sliwoski is pleased to announce that Jared Schwass has joined the firm as an attorney in our California office. Jared advises entrepreneurs, investors, startups, and established companies operating in highly regulated industries, with a particular focus on the cannabis sector. His practice includes corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance, licensing, land use, and
The hearing on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for the rescheduling of “marijuana” commenced on June 29, 2026 and will end tomorrow, July 15th. The Government brought two witnesses to the stand on the first day, and then seven prohibitionist organizations had the floor for the remaining seven days of the hearing. As I discussed
The DEA’s marijuana rescheduling hearing continues to raise important questions for cannabis businesses, investors, and the industry as a whole. If you’re trying to keep up with where things stand and what may come next, this upcoming MJBizDaily webinar is worth your time. Harris Sliwoski attorney Jason Adelstone will join a panel of industry professionals
Until last week, federal law prohibited marijuana users from owning or possessing firearms, even in states where marijuana is legal. In recent years, we have covered the differing opinions by federal courts challenging this status quo. On June 18, 2026, the Supreme Court held in a 9-0 decision in U.S. v. Hemani that 18 U.S.C.
On April 28, 2026, Acting Attorney General Blanche (“AG”) issued a notice of hearing concerning the proposed rule to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”). The notice replaced the hearing that began in December 2024 (“2024 Hearing”), which the AG terminated upon issuing the new notice. The
The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) published an interesting bulletin this Tuesday, June 16th. The bulletin finds that DEA’s final rule on medical marijuana rescheduling “does not appear to apply to Washington’s cannabis licensees, due to the statutory framework predominantly regulating recreational cannabis.” The word “predominantly” is doing a lot of work in
Harris Sliwoski attorney Jason Adelstone will present at the International Cannabis Bar Association’s (INCBA) Cannabis Law Institute 2026, taking place June 17–18 in Chicago and hosted by Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Jason will join Adi Rozenfeld of Herzog Fox & Neeman and Sahar Ayinehsazian of A.Y. Strauss for a panel discussion titled: Beyond Borders:
With just over two weeks until DEA’s expedited processing deadline for state legal operators to apply for DEA registration, several petitioners litigating the legality of the DEA’s final rule have filed a motion to stay DEA’s final rule in the D.C. Circuit (“Motion”). The Motion was brought by the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association,
