It’s not always bad news when cannabis operators interact with the federal government. After all, the federal government largely allows marijuana companies to operate in an overwhelming majority of states without federal interference even though marijuana is classified as a Schedule I substance under federal law.
But there does seem to be a common theme
On August 11, 2025, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officially transmitted a request to the Department of Health and Human Services to loosen the federal restriction on psilocybin, seeking to move one of the better-known psychedelics from Schedule I to Schedule II under the Controlled Substances Act. The petition was submitted by a familiar
There’s a scene just before the final firefight in Platoon, Oliver Stone’s unflinching view into the experiences of a group of young Americans fighting in Vietnam, that reminds me of the state of the potential rescheduling of marijuana by the federal government. In the scene, as Sgt. “Red” O’Neill (played with the typical
Often wrong, never in doubt. That’s our promise here at Budding Trends. A little over a year ago, we wrote these words: “DEA will reschedule marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule III.” We later acknowledged we (may have) jumped the gun on that and modified our prediction to be that rescheduling won’t happen in
As the hallowed cannabis holiday for stoners-turned-business-entrepreneurs falls upon us, we find ourselves in the shifting sands of change in the cannabis industry as usual. Not surprisingly, many states have seen legislation brought to the table, decisions made at the courts, and commentary presented by politicians that will directly impact cannabis businesses, medical marijuana dispensaries
It’s funny how things work out – sometimes you find yourself living in a sort of butterfly effect where the tail seems to wag the dog. In 2023, when we first started writing about the traction psychedelics were gaining as medicine, our goal was not to end up spending years covering the winding legal battle
As you might have guessed from the title of this post, we are returning to cover new developments in the United States v. Sirois case. A few months ago, the First Circuit released an opinion that we discussed in an earlier post. As we predicted, the Rohrabacher-Farr issues have reappeared, with the Defendants in
A few weeks ago, someone at a holiday party asked “Whitt, why doesn’t Budding Trends take on the weighty legal issues of the day and instead resort to cheap pop culture references and puns?” I thought about responding with a quote from “Run Like an Antelope” but then it hit me: Maybe we
2024 was a banner year for cannabis lawmakers and business operators. From Kamala Harris advocating for marijuana reforms to California’s clash of titans between hemp and marijuana markets, there was no shortage of drama in the cannabis industry. Vice President Harris vocally championed marijuana legalization on various platforms, emphasizing its importance for social justice. Meanwhile
No, it’s not (just) a cruel play on words. Last week, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced that a much-anticipated public hearing on the proposal to reschedule marijuana would be moved from early December until the first quarter of 2025. I’m not sure I specifically predicted this, but it’s just about the most predictable thing ever.