A drug-testing industry association and a pharmaceutical company are asking a federal court to block the Trump administration from moving forward with federal cannabis reregulation while hearing lawsuits challenging the reform, “arguing that marijuana abuse has lifelong dangerous consequences, especially for teenagers and pregnant women.”

The new filing says that by “reducing taxes on cannabis companies,” the federal reorganization will “stimulate the industry and increase marijuana abuse.”

The brief, filed Thursday, is the Justice Department’s response to the drug-testing group’s and pharmaceutical company’s motion to halt the rescheduling.

The government, in a brief issued earlier this month, noted that the entities challenging the rescheduling of cannabis “out-of-pocket interest all marijuana stored on schedule I” and they are not suitable opponents of reform because they are not the “intended beneficiaries” of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Opponents filed this week, however, say the DOJ’s arguments are “meritless diversions.”

“Movers should not be ‘intended beneficiaries of the CSA,'” he says. “It doesn’t matter that the movements have ‘pocket interests’ at stake, while the CSA has broader goals aimed at the general welfare.”

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia District is considering three separate cases that have since been consolidated from Schedule I to Schedule III of the CSA.

A lawsuit is led by a prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and National Drug and Alcohol Screening (NDASA)and they say they are “offended” by the reform. Another comes from a coalition anti-marijuana activists, substance abuse professionals, doctors and a cannabis-focused biopharmaceutical corporation. He filed a third claim Attorneys General of Indiana, Nebraska and Louisiana— although the latter appeared later withdrew from the suit.

Two of the organizations involved in the case—NDASA and MMJ International Holdings and its subsidiaries—filed a separate motion. asking the court to suspend the rescheduling of marijuana while considering the broader challenge.

In the latest filing, their lawyers say they would “suffer irreparable harm” from federal cannabis reform.

New costs related to medical review officer (MRO) practices to be imposed on NDASA members in the drug testing industry “will force some out of business,” he says.

“Because the authority makes marijuana legal for state ‘medical’ use, MROs will have to conduct time-consuming checks to determine whether positive THC tests are attributed to legitimate uses. This causes irretrievable losses—irreparable harm—in two ways. First, NDASA’s MRO members will absorb some of the new costs themselves because they cannot bear the losses. billing decision(s).’ Second, those who don’t absorb themselves will be passed on by higher prices, which will cause some customers to stop trying marijuana. It is not “speculative” that some customers will forgo more expensive tests; it is inevitable that “common sense economic reality(y)” – often relied upon by courts – is that demand falls as prices rise.’

The brief also states that the revision “forces many NDASA members who require employee drug testing to either (1) forego marijuana testing and live with the increased risk of employee accidents and reduced productivity, or (2) pay significantly more for marijuana testing and testing due to affirmative action liability under the Disabilities Act (ADA) or state law.”

Responding to the government’s argument that NDASA is not the right entity to deal with reprogramming because it is not a beneficiary of the CSA, the report says the group’s members “turn CSA prohibitions into concrete practices that protect the public.”

“Drug testing creates an essential deterrent to the CSA’s “primary purpose of combating drug abuse.” Thus, NDASA members’ interests in marketing drug testing devices and services—and their clients’ interests in safe, drug-free workplaces—are “unquestionably consistent with the purposes of the statute.”

Additionally, “NDASA members who test their employees have a vested interest in ensuring the safety of their employees and the public who may be affected by their work,” he says. “That interest is consistent with the goals of the CSA. Marijuana reorganization harms that interest by requiring costly revisions to drug testing policies; by making marijuana testing itself more expensive; and by placing NDASA members who act on positive marijuana test results at greater risk of ADA and state law liability.”

MMJ, for its part, will also harm its “competitive position in the market for federally illegal cannabis-based pharmaceuticals,” the filing claims.

“Prior to the Reconsideration Order, MMJ enjoyed a significant advantage due to federal compliance and significant progress toward an FDA-approved cannabis product. The order destroys that competitive advantage—reflecting eight years of hard work and a $10 million investment—by making competitors’ products that have defied capital federal law federal.”

“These damages cannot be ruled out on the theory that MMJ” has allowed no cannabis drug to come to market so far, the government said in its brief, the company’s lawyers wrote. “MMJ has jumped eight years to seek DEA registration and FDA approval, while its competitors have taken “few steps”—indeed, no steps—to seek federal drug approval.

“MMJ has spent nearly eight years and $10 million developing cannabis therapeutics to comply with federal law,” the filing states. “The Reconsideration Order suddenly creates illegal competition among the state’s illegal cannabis drug producers, who have so far made no effort to comply with federal drug laws.”

NDASA and MMJ also argue that the general lawsuit challenging the reorganization will ultimately succeed on the merits, saying the proposed rule is “unlawful” because the government did not undergo formal rulemaking procedures in “flagrant violation” of federal statute.

“The public interest clearly supports the stay,” he concludes.

The latest filing of the legal dispute comes as a The testimony concluded a hearing on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) marijuana reorganization proposal and the judge overseeing the proceedings outlined the next steps for filings that will lead to his own recommendation on whether the reform should be approved.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in April He issued an order that immediately reclassified the state’s licensed medical cannabisas well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under Schedule I through Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). According to a separate order signed by the acting attorney general, the hearing is looking into Class III marijuana.

Meanwhile, Two medical marijuana companies filed a motion to intervene in the reconsideration case siding with the government and opposing the prohibition lawsuits. NDASA and SAM lawyers, however, filed a brief arguing that cannabis businesses should not be included in the lawsuit.

The challenge to SAM and NDASA’s reconsideration request was signed by attorneys at Torridon Law PLCC, where former US Attorney General William Barr, who led the DOJ during Trump’s first term, is a partner.

SAM announced in January that it was Hiring Barr’s firm to fight cannabis rescheduling After Trump signed an executive order directing officials to quickly complete the process.

Meanwhile, the Appropriations Committee of the Chamber Federal officials voted to block further steps to reschedule cannabis. Bipartisan lawmakers told Marihuana Moment, however, that they don’t expect legislative efforts to block rescheduling to be successful.

Separately, SAM, MMJ and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration’s program. Certain hemp-derived products are covered by Medicare. That the case was dismissed by a federal judge in May, though that decision is being appealed.

Read the full set of opponents to marijuana reprogramming short in the case below:

The German state of Saxony-Anhalt is supporting the development of a hemp information and competence center in Müchelnen (Geiseltal). The joint project known as IKHE – “Information and Competence Center for Hemp with Experience Trails” – is being carried out by the city of Mücheln (Geiseltal), the University of Applied Sciences Merseburg and the German Hemp Academy (Deutsche Hanf-Akademie eV).

The project has been given approximately 3.8 million euros as part of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative, fully financed by the European Union’s Just Transition Fund (JTF).

The funding announcement was presented in Mücheln (Geiseltal) on July 7, 2026 by Gert Zender, State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry of Saxony-Anhalt.

© New Bauhauslers

Hemp is a versatile plant and one of the oldest crops cultivated by humans. For centuries, it was used to produce textiles, paper, and building and construction materials, before being largely displaced by fossil-based raw materials. Today, the renewed use of hemp opens up new possibilities for the ecologically and economically efficient production of building materials and fiber products. Grown in rotation with other crops, hemp improves soil quality, requires no crop protection products and requires little water.

Hanffaser Geiseltal eG a hemp industry processing cooperative is already active in the region. While Hanffaser Geiseltal processes the raw material, the IKHE partners are working to establish the information and competence center as a center for knowledge transfer, education and testing. Together, these efforts are turning Mücheln (Geiseltal) into a location with experience covering the entire hemp value chain.

At the heart of IKHE is an experimental building workshop where new bio-based building materials made from hemp are developed, tested and demonstrated in experimental building projects. This is complemented by a self-help building workshop, where both professionals and the public can learn how to work with hemp-based building materials through combined theoretical and practical seminars, and receive hands-on guidance for their building projects. Experiential trails will also allow visitors to explore where and how hemp can be used, in a hands-on way, from construction and textiles to food and cosmetics.

© New Bauhauslers

A bottom-up participatory approach is central to the project. From the very beginning, local residents, associations, schools and regional initiatives have been actively involved in the development and implementation of the project through open workshops and practical activities. In this way, the project combines formal scientific and technical knowledge with the practical expertise of craftsmanship and regional traditions, reflecting the values ​​of the new European Bauhaus of being beautiful, sustainable and inclusive.

IKHE is an Applied NEB Project and will be in operation until 2028. It is supported by the NEB Network Office Saxony-Anhalt, acting on behalf of the State Chancellery and the Saxony-Anhalt Ministry of Culture.

Source: The new Bauhauslers

A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hearing The Trump administration’s cannabis rescheduling proposal concluded, and the agency judge overseeing the proceeding set a deadline for the parties involved to file post-hearing briefs before the next recommendation on reform.

The multi-day hearing, which began late last month, ended Wednesday after presentations from a handful of states opposing federal cannabis reform.

DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius issued an order Thursday, saying that because “no closing time was granted” during the court days, participants in the process will be able to file post-trial documents, which are due Aug. 17.

Those documents can be up to 50 pages long and can include “closing arguments and arguments on any other matter raised by the court at the hearing.”

“This is a non-mandatory submission, so a named party will not be penalized for failing to file a post-hearing brief, and the absence of a submission means that there was no submission,” Julius wrote.

His order also states that participants can submit corrections to the daily transcripts of the proceedings by August 17.

“The amendments submitted by the designated parties are only proposed amendments. This panel will also examine the transcript for possible errors and indicate where amendments are needed,” wrote the judge. “The list created by the court will be compared with the list submitted by the Named Parties to create a list of final corrections. Thereafter, this court will issue an order approving the list of final corrections and include those corrections in the official copy of the transcript.”

“A fully redacted copy of the transcript of these proceedings will be made publicly available on the Agency’s website,” Julius said.

The judge said in his closing statement at the end of Wednesday’s hearing that he will work on writing his recommendation after receiving the next briefs on whether the government should move forward with broad marijuana rescheduling, but stressed that the final decision would rest with the DEA administrator.

Julius did not specify an anticipated timeline for the administrator’s recommendation of action.

At the hearing, DEA officials were tasked with defending the proposed cannabis reorganization featured testimony about the medical benefits of marijuana and its relative safety compared to other substances such as alcohol and opioids. It included appearances by a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientist and a doctor from New Hampshire. Medical marijuana provides relief to pain patients and can serve as an alternative to opioids.

Meanwhile, attorneys and witnesses for the parties opposing marijuana redistricting who attended the hearing focused on the alleged harms of cannabis use, as well as criticism of the recently approved changes. an analysis used to determine whether or not drugs have approved medical value.

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole only organizations and individuals opposed to marijuana reform have been invited to the hearing as a designated participant – telling followers that they do not meet the definition of “interested person” to participate because they are not “affected or prejudiced by any rule or proposed rule that may be issued.”

Participating opposition parties include Smart Approaches to Marijuana, the National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, DUID Victim Voices, Kenneth Finn, Phillip A. Drum, and the states of Idaho, Indiana, and Nebraska.

Before the hearing began last month, marijuana reform activists rallied They held a press conference outside DEA headquarters to highlight how they feel of the process – that supporters of the reform were not invited to participate and that the proceedings were not broadcast live, despite the officials’ vow of “transparency”.

Marihuana Moments sent petitions to DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius and DEA Administrator Cole asking for them reverse the decision to ban the public from tuning into the cannabis hearing via live stream. A Congressmen and other journalists later joined that request.

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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in April He issued an order that immediately reclassified the state’s licensed medical cannabisas well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under Schedule I through Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

A separate order was signed by the acting attorney general hearing marijuana III.

Preliminary hearing process on the marijuana redistricting process initiated by the Biden administration It was halted last year amid allegations of improper communications and witness selection.

the current The marijuana redistricting process is being challenged in several ways which have been upheld by a federal Court of Appeals. those pieces of State attorneys general have filed lawsuits against cannabis reform, Opponents of marijuana legalization and a a cannabis-based biopharmaceutical corporation.

Meanwhile, the reorganization of state-licensed medical cannabis is already having a major impact.

The Congressional Research Service published a report on the current rescheduling of cannabis Certified patients with medical marijuana from state licensed dispensaries are now eligible for Class III. “The order appears to allow end users to use marijuana medically without a CSA prescription,” he says.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has published a Draft update to a gun purchase form to recognize the legal status of medical marijuana in the reprogramming. The revised section of the question states that only the “recreational use or possession of marijuana” is federally prohibited, omitting the prior form’s mention of medical cannabis.

The US Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said they plan to issued new tax guidelines for the marijuana industry after reprogramming. The reform will benefit state-licensed marijuana businesses by allowing them to take federal tax deductions that are currently prohibited under IRS Code Section III, known as Section 280E.

Even the DEA, which has long opposed cannabis legalization and accused the Biden administration of stalling the initiative in the reorganization process, has done so. It launched a registration process for legal marijuana businesses in the state to take advantage of the federal benefits that come with the reform.

The Department of Transport, on the other hand, issued guidelines stating this use Legal medical cannabis in the state is still no excuse for truck drivers to test positive for drugspilots and other safety-sensitive personnel.

The The War Department released a memo making it clear that military service members were using marijuana and civilian employees of the department remain prohibited, even in the federal rescheduling of cannabis.

A congressional committee recently Federal officials voted to block further steps to reschedule cannabishowever lawmakers from both parties told Marihuana Moment they don’t think that provision will be enacted become law

Read the DEA’s post-trial hearing the order below: