The DEA is preparing registration forms for state-licensed medical marijuana manufacturers, bulk manufacturers (growers/cultivators), analytical labs, and distributors to seek federal protections under the rescheduling process. The agency said the forms will appear on DEA Diversion's Registration page "in the coming weeks."
Last month DEA launched a form for dispensaries only, leaving supply-chain operators uncertain during a 60-day expedited window that closes June 26. A broader rescheduling administrative hearing begins June 29.
The registrations follow the Justice Department's announcement moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act in phases. Under an order signed by Acting Attorney General Blanche, state medical cannabis-licensed products and FDA-approved marijuana products moved to Schedule III immediately.
The existing dispensary application covers storage, ordering, dispensing, inventory, recordkeeping, and security measures (vaults, safes, secure rooms, access controls, alarms, on-site personnel); whether the firm handles marijuana, marijuana extracts, or naturally derived delta-9 THC; recreational cannabis operations; supplier lists; and repackaging plans. Personnel with controlled-substance access must be listed with birth dates, Social Security numbers, and drug criminal histories. One question asks whether any owner or operator previously handled controlled substances without DEA authorization—effectively every current state-legal cannabis operator, given marijuana's former Schedule I status. The $794 annual fee is non-refundable and currently PayPal-only, with more payment options expected. DEA has also updated its controlled-substances list to reflect Schedule III status for state-licensed medical cannabis.
DOJ is implementing a nominal buy-back to meet an international treaty requirement that a government agency be the exclusive cannabis purchaser: manufacturers set a price, DEA buys their crops and resells at the same price plus an administrative fee, with crops stored in DEA-accessible facilities until each transaction closes.
The Treasury Department and IRS plan cannabis tax guidance. Rescheduling removes 280E restrictions, giving operators access to standard business deductions. The ATF posted a draft gun-purchase form acknowledging medical marijuana's new legal status; the Congressional Research Service published a report on rescheduling's scope and limitations.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said reform is "overwhelmingly popular" with voters and helps patients. At an Oval Office event, President Donald Trump said: "A lot of people are suffering from big problems, which this seems to be the best answer. They're very happy about it. So the rescheduling is starting, and that's a big thing, rescheduling." Trump separately called on Congress to amend a law threatening to recriminalize hemp-derived full-spectrum CBD.
