Trump just pushed out the attorney general he ordered to expedite marijuana rescheduling and replaced her, for now, with former personal lawyer Todd Blanche. Industry sources say the Schedule III push is still moving, but for cannabis readers the bigger question remains the same: even if it happens, what exactly does rescheduling solve?
Pam Bondi is out, Todd Blanche is in, and the immediate question for cannabis is whether that changes the fate of marijuana rescheduling.
On Thursday, Trump announced that Bondi was out as attorney general and that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche would serve as acting AG, with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin reportedly under consideration for the permanent job. Bondi’s exit comes less than four months after Trump signed his December 18 executive order directing the attorney general to move marijuana to Schedule III “in the most expeditious manner possible.”
If you are looking for the quick answer, it seems to be: probably not much, at least not right away.
MJBizDaily reported Thursday that several sources close to the process do not expect Bondi’s firing to delay rescheduling, and one observer told the outlet that movement could still come within 30 to 60 days. Brian Vicente told MJBiz that Trump “has been clear in his directive” and that the administration appears to be taking steps to make the process legally and procedurally sound. The same report says Blanche is already familiar with the issue, with Jushi executive Trent Woloveck calling him “a big net positive” who has been involved in conversations around drafting the final rule.
So if the question is whether Bondi’s exit kills rescheduling, the answer right now looks like no.
But for High Times readers, that was never the only question.
The bigger one is whether Schedule III was ever the clean win some people …
Read More
Author: Javier Hasse / High Times
