Good morning.
Today, we’ve got a report from Chris Casacchia about the new DEA registration window for growers, testing labs and distributors, and why it’s crucial to have your ducks in a row.
Let’s get to it.
-JB, JR
Today’s newsletter is 798 words or about a 6.5-minute read.
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💡 What’s the big deal?
OH, DEA
DEA registration window opens for cannabis operators — here's what to know
What happened: The DEA announced it will open a registration window "in the coming weeks" for medical cannabis manufacturers, growers, testing labs and distributors — building on the dispensary window that launched April 29 and has already drawn nearly 400 applications.
Go deeper: Dispensaries have until June 26 to file for expedited review. If the DEA follows a similar timeline for the next round, operators should be pulling documents together now — SOPs, training records, ownership charts, facility layouts, state licenses, and audit reports.
Mixed adult-use and medical businesses need clean entity separation before applying, or they risk getting tangled in registration traps.
What's next: The liability section is where applications are most likely to go sideways. Four disclosure questions cover prior convictions, revoked registrations, and related enforcement actions.
Experts say prior state-legal cannabis activity won't automatically disqualify anyone — but how it's disclosed matters a lot.
What they’re saying: "As an attorney who has helped businesses submit DEA applications in the past, it's very important to assume that every disclosure will be scrutinized and any omission will be viewed as a red flag," said Amber Lengacher, founder and CEO of Purple Circle LLC.
📣 Quotable
"For years, prohibitionists argued that today’s cannabis products are too strong, a far cry from yesterday’s tamer, weaker weed. But with these new senior-directed products, this actually is your grandma’s marijuana,” Historian and writer Emily Dufton writes in an op-ed for Marijuana Moment, about how the federal government’s push to relax cannabis laws seems primarily aimed at seniors, rather than the young adults of old.
⏩ Quick hits
Ghana looks to Vermont for cannabis market blueprint
Vermont State University and Ghana's Chamber of Cannabis Industry launched a cannabis certificate program this spring, with Ghanaian officials touring the state's cannabis and hemp industry as the West African nation looks to build its own low-potency, medicinal and industrial market.
House panel directs DEA to act on unregulated cannabinoid products
The House Appropriations Committee is set to approve a FY2027 spending report this week that directs the DEA, in coordination with the FDA, to take enforcement action against unregulated ingestible, inhalable, and topical products containing intoxicating cannabinoids that "threaten consumer safety." The directive arrives as hemp-derived THC products are already set to be broadly recriminalized under legislation signed earlier this year, with the ban taking effect in November.
VANGST*
Finding cannabis talent shouldn't feel like finding a needle in a haystack
Most hiring managers in this industry know the frustration: posting a job, sifting through applicants who don't understand state licensing requirements, badging rules, or the operational reality of plant-touching work.
It's a different kind of hire — and general staffing agencies treat it like any other.
Vangst doesn't.
As the cannabis industry's dedicated staffing platform, Vangst has built a network of 300,000+ workers who actually understand this space. Whether you're scaling a cultivation facility, staffing a multi-location retail operation, or building a corporate team, they connect you with vetted candidates who are ready to work — and compliant from day one.
Their model is built for how this industry actually operates: temporary staffing for seasonal surges, temp-to-hire arrangements so you can evaluate fit before committing, and direct placement for key roles.
And once a Vangst temp clocks 360 hours with you? You can bring them on full-time with zero conversion fee.
300,000+ cannabis workers. Every hiring model. Zero guesswork.
→ Find your next hire at Vangst.com
*sponsored
🧳 People moves
Our friends at Aquinnah Capital are making moves: They’ve hired Aaron Kramer as an MBA summer intern. Jeremy, of course, loves to see more MBAs use their skills in the cannabis industry…
1️⃣ One important thing
A shadowy, out-of-state funded campaign is seeking to overturn Massachusetts cannabis legalization. Make your voice heard and support the thousands of jobs, patients, and consumers in the state, with the MassCann campaign.
Per the campaign, every single dollar of the campaign’s funding has come from SAM Action, a group linked to the anti-cannabis Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
📰 What we’re reading
The Industrial Revolution of the Joint | High Times