DOJ’s Confusing Schedule III Move: Todd Blanche’s Treaty-Based Order Explained

Tom Howard of Cannabis Legalization News analyzes Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s 33-page final order (signed April 22, published April 23) that creates a narrow, treaty-based “Schedule III” path under CSA §811(d)(1) to comply with the 1961 Single Convention. The order places two categories into Schedule III: FDA-approved marijuana drugs and marijuana covered by qualifying state medical marijuana licenses, while adult-use and other unlicensed/bulk marijuana remain Schedule I. Howard explains how DOJ bypassed the usual §811(a)/(b) hearing process, cites HHS findings on abuse potential and withdrawal, and ties the move to treaty controls like quotas, registration, recordkeeping, and a government purchase/resale mechanism. He discusses DEA registration, research access to state medical products, 280E mentions, and forecasts legal challenges by Smart Approaches to Marijuana and Torridon Law amid the ongoing broader rescheduling docket.

00:00 Schedule Three Shockwave
01:14 Order Overview and Oddities
03:15 Treaty Based Rescheduling
05:22 Why Medical Only
07:38 Two Lane Schedule Three
10:17 HHS Science and Abuse Data
13:22 Bulk Marijuana Stays Schedule One
16:29 DEA Rules and Compliance
19:47 Research Access and 280E
21:08 Regulatory Analysis and Definitions
24:54 Naturally Derived THC Language
25:37 Lawsuits and What Comes Next
30:13 Wrap Up and Subscribe