Last Week in Cannabis #12
October 19–25, 2026 | Issue #12
Hey friend — welcome back to Last Week in Cannabis. The DEA rescheduling process got a meaningful development this week, the Massachusetts vote is eight days away with new polling, and the hemp deadline clock is ticking loud. Let’s get into it.
1. UNITED STATES — The DEA Judge Rejected the Opponents’ Push to Reopen Rescheduling Testimony
This is the biggest cannabis policy development of the week. DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius issued a ruling on October 23rd rejecting the motion from anti-rescheduling parties to reopen the hearing for additional testimony and discovery related to the GAO report. The judge determined the motion did not meet the legal standard required to reopen a closed hearing record.
The stay that has frozen the rescheduling proceeding since late September has now been lifted. The judge’s recommendation to the DEA Administrator — the final step before an administrator’s decision — can now move forward.
Mary Jane’s Take: This is genuinely good news for rescheduling. The anti-rescheduling parties tried to use a government report about scheduling procedures as a mechanism to force more delays and potentially new testimony. The judge said no. The evidentiary record built during 17 days of hearing — including the government’s own witnesses confirming cannabis has medical value and no fatal overdose history — stands as-is. A recommendation from the judge is now the next step, with no new announced timeline. But the road ahead is clearer than it was a week ago.
2. UNITED STATES — Massachusetts Votes in Eight Days — and 71% of Likely Voters Are Against Repeal
A new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll released October 20th found that 71.4% of likely Massachusetts voters plan to vote no on Question 8 — the ballot measure that would repeal the state’s adult-use cannabis laws — with just 21.4% planning to vote yes. That is a 50-point margin, eight days from election day.
The repeal campaign, funded primarily by out-of-state prohibitionist group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, has focused its advertising on impaired driving. The No on 8 campaign has the Governor, the Mayor of Boston, the House Speaker, the Senate President, and more than 50 state legislators publicly opposing repeal.
Mary Jane’s Take: A 71-21 split in polling this close to election day is a very strong indicator of where this vote is heading. The Massachusetts repeal effort has been the most significant test of whether a well-funded anti-cannabis campaign can reverse legalization after voters have lived with it for nearly a decade. The answer, based on all available evidence heading into November 3rd, appears to be no. We will have the result next week.
3. UNITED STATES — The Hemp Deadline Is Six Weeks Away and Congress Has No Clear Solution
December 11th — the hard federal deadline for most hemp-derived THC products — is now six weeks away. An estimated 95% of hemp-derived cannabinoid products currently sold legally in the United States would become federally unlawful under the new definition unless Congress acts. The White House has reportedly told Senate Republicans there will be no further deadline extensions.
Several bills are circulating, including a Hemp Planting Predictability Act with bipartisan Senate support, but none has the momentum to pass both chambers in six weeks. Payment processors and major retailers are already acting ahead of the federal date — Square told merchants to remove hemp products from their catalogs by October 15th, weeks before either statutory deadline.
Mary Jane’s Take: Six weeks is not much time to legislate a regulatory framework for a $28 billion industry. The fact that payment processors are already cutting off hemp merchants tells you the market is not waiting for Congress to decide — businesses are making defensive decisions now to avoid liability. The most likely outcome at this point may be another last-minute extension attached to a government funding bill, but the White House has explicitly said it will not allow one. Whatever happens in the next six weeks is going to reshape the hemp market significantly.
4. GLOBAL — Veterans Are Among the Strongest Supporters of Cannabis Legalization, New Poll Finds
A new poll released this week found that US military veterans support legalizing cannabis by a significant majority — a finding consistent with growing recognition that cannabis plays a meaningful role in managing chronic pain, PTSD, and sleep disruption in the veteran population. The poll adds to a broader picture of shifting attitudes toward cannabis within traditionally conservative-leaning communities.
Mary Jane’s Take: Veterans have been at the forefront of the medical cannabis conversation for years — many came to cannabis after prescription opioids and conventional treatments failed to address the physical and psychological toll of service. The fact that veterans support legalization in strong numbers is a meaningful data point for the policy debate, particularly in jurisdictions where conservative political culture has slowed reform. The people with the most direct experience of cannabis as a therapeutic option are among its strongest advocates.
That’s your week — three from the United States, one global. See you next Monday — with the Massachusetts result.
— Mary Jane
