DEA Stacks Hearing Against Cannabis Industry—Here's What Happens Next

Tomorrow morning, the DEA opens one of the biggest cannabis hearings in federal history — and somehow the witness table is packed with prohibitionists while the cannabis industry gets zero seats.

This week on Cannabis Legalization News, we break down the June 29 DEA marijuana rescheduling hearing, the one-sided panel, the lack of livestream access, and why the administrative record built over the next two weeks could shape the future of Schedule III.

We also cover:

The Trump White House asking Congress to save hemp before the November ban

SAFE Banking coming back in both the Senate and House

The U.S. Census Bureau tracking nearly $15 billion in state cannabis tax revenue

California dropping $227 million to fight illegal grows

Congress moving to let the Air Force and Marines accept cannabis-positive recruits

The EDUCATE Act and federal cannabis scholarships for HBCUs and Hispanic-serving schools

Guam issuing its first cannabis permit seven years after legalization

Hawaii’s hemp crackdown taking effect July 1

Hempcrete homes keeping Europe cooler during extreme heat

The story this week is simple: the government is trying to regulate cannabis like it’s playing Twister in a hurricane. DEA is building a one-sided record, the White House is trying to rescue hemp, Congress is dusting off banking reform, and the states are already counting billions in cannabis tax revenue.

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#CannabisLegalization #ScheduleIII #DEA #MarijuanaNews #CannabisIndustry #HempBan #SAFEBanking #CannabisLaw

Transcript

Live From Pekin

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey, we're live on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast. It's another episode of Pian was legalization news. I'm Tom. I'm Mickey. And uh guess where we are? We're at our store. We are uh across the street from Peakin Courthouse. Well, Capital County Courthouse in Peacen. Uh other than that, we're not gonna tell you because the terms and conditions of YouTube and all. We got a lot to talk about. Like what's the lead story?

DEA Rescheduling Hearing

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Talk about how the DEA's rigging the system against us? DEA is rigging the system against us. Not how I read it, but the DEA hearing, the evidentiary hearing, uh rescheduling starts tomorrow, June 29th. That's the story we're gonna leave off. Hey, check the check. Do you hear us now? I think it's you. I think it's you uh just jinxing stuff. But yeah, uh the DEA story though, what's uh the evidentiary hearing starts tomorrow. It runs through July 15th, and so they're gonna talk about uh why marijuana's terrible and that it's dangerous and that it has a high tendency for abuse and it causes brain damage. What so they're hearing SAM's allowed, we got the drug tester people allowed. Yeah, but why is the DEA stacking it against uh pro? Well, because the medical science is binding on the the department HHS, health and human services, yeah, that evidence is binding on the DEA.

Who Can Sue DEA

SPEAKER_01 1:54

And if the DEA reschedules to Schedule Three, who's the most likely to sue? Everybody who's speaking. Oh, like all the participants, yeah, yeah, yeah. The government, the DEA, the National Drug and Alcoholic Screening, SAM, Smart Approaches to Marijuana, and then states like Idaho, Indiana, and Nebraska. Shocker. I know. But uh uh, I mean that's and then you said we're not expected to hear results for like months from this. It's not gonna be an overnight decision. Uh, probably not, but the judge gets to make his recommendation based on the evidence that he's had, and then in the statute, it says that the attorney general is allowed to reschedule after they follow this procedure and the stuff is taken on the record. So this gets to provide the record uh so that they would appeal saying, like, hey, you didn't listen to me. Right. But it they kind of did because they had to listen to the HHS regarding the evidence. Holy shit, Brian Drumbarowski. Hey, we'll call you back. No, and he's probably watching right now. Oh, hey, hemp I am going to turn the computer to do not disturb. Thanks, Brian. Is that the same hemp, Brian? Yes, it's the hemp Brian. That's right. Hey, I'm sorry. Not just there. We're on do not disturb.

SPEAKER_00 3:15

We are gonna talk about hemp later, too. But uh, so you stay tuned. That's hysterical. But like okay, so the DEA, this hearing.

SPEAKER_01 3:26

What if, like, say the the judge says this rescheduling shouldn't go forward? Does it stop rescheduling? Nope. All right, so I thought no, no, because then it just goes up to the judge's boss, who is Terry Cole, I believe. Cole is in charge of the DEA. I don't even think he's acting administrator, I thought they voted on him. But the acting administrator who's in charge of the attorney general's office, uh, that is Todd Blanch, or is that Scott Besson? No, that's not a planch for this. If you if you give two people pictures of Todd Blanch and Scott Besson and ask them which one is which, you cannot tell the difference. Probably like, oh, like no neck. Uh, but yeah, just Todd Blanche. I saw enough of him and descripted white guy in a suit. There you go. But uh, and again, their boss is gonna push the rescheduling, whereas, you know, we'll talk about it later.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

With well,

Hemp Bailout Request

SPEAKER_00 4:17

I think here we yeah, but the next story is the White House tells Congress save hemp before the the November ban, but it's not the White House, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:24

Yeah, it's not, it's uh it's the office management and budget. So now I was gonna do that. Oh, that's bad. Okay, that's better. Um but with this hemp thing, right?

SPEAKER_00 4:32

Like they're scrambling, and and in the end, uh with rescheduling, it's gonna be one damn plan.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

Like, like, you know what I mean? Like the the rules are gonna, you know, Brian, you don't you're not gonna have a job. Like Texas is gonna turn to cannabis, it's not gonna be hemp, right? Uh the whole country will go to cannabis, yeah, is what I'm assuming will happen. It'll just take some time kicking and screaming because if once you get enough money, you have a lot. And hemp has a lobby, and that's that's may explain why they asked for this, but uh it's not okay. This was part of their ask for how many billions of dollars, how many extra billions they wanted, 87 billion or something? So I'm not sure, but like it's just another what was put out recently was just an ask, though, right? It was it was only an ask. So the office and management and budget director Russell Vaught sent spike speaker Mike Johnson a request that included some hemp language, but this was predominantly 80-some odd billion dollars for bombing Iran. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then again, the the hemp conversation is already a dead conversation because of rescheduling with one plant. I just understand the purpose of people who who want to champion hemp, but like here we are in a legal. Oh, they they love this, they think that this means that they're saved. But but I was saying though, with the with the markets, though, like eventually we're not gonna sell hemp TAC beverages here. We're gonna we're gonna sell you know whatever is in our state provided, you know, the the regulated market, which is there are rules about what we can stock over there, right? Not here. No, well, we would never broadcast there's nothing here to YouTube, our podcast from a place of ill repute, like a cannabis dispensary. No, we're gonna strip club, um, but uh classy, classy strip club, yeah. But like again, I'm gonna get a hemp. I just felt bad that people should have seen. I I the other thing is this is in the budget, and so they want through the budget to do the type of legislation, but then if the uh November 12th ban goes into effect, they want to appeal that, saying that Congress overstepped because they changed the definition in the previous budget that they passed on November, it was November 11th, November 12th, which again, if the government shuts down because we don't get a CR, that's not gonna happen, by the way. They are gonna fund the government from September 30th through election day. I will bet money on it. Yeah. Who wants to go to their district telling them, hey, I shut down the government? Heck, made gas real expensive too. Now I'm gonna give billions to Iran. No, I'm not trying to win, but your hemp's really priority. Yeah, your hemp is a big priority. Did you make the checkout to cash? Because that's my last name. Well, yeah, and then again, uh Biden started the ball with the rescheduling, and then it's been how long? Like, like the pushing of the actual like uh the rules. We'll get one. Oh no, it uh this is just poorly, poorly watched. Oh,

Storefront Reality Check

SPEAKER_01 7:41

like we usually have a lot more than a hundred. I think it's because we're live together and we don't have the news clips.

SPEAKER_00 7:47

Yeah, no, we are totally awkward in the stage, but you know what?

SPEAKER_01 7:50

We thank you, you as we try and figure this out. Two old guys with uh we could have done this at the uh the other office, but just something different about doing a podcast about cannabis legalization. Place where you can legally buy cannabis. And again, it's been a long journey for us. I mean, how long have we been like advocating? And and it's just weird to be in a position where I used to break up quarter pounds, like I you know, QP, yeah, and uh sell one ounce. I'll keep one ounce for myself and sell the rest. That the to see the inventory that we have, all these many ace and quarters and vapes and different skews, and see being a part of a regulated like critical thing is fucking insane because like even back in the day, like in a traditional market, like this is what you eventually are advocating for is a regulated people, the people we saw yesterday, the local people of the different age ranges and uh uh working class background type stuff, was awesome to see like a lot of old heads that are choosing us as an option for like just their daily consumption, their their the product. Like there's no you know, the the joke of like sitting on the couch and having to hear about the guys like conspiracy theorist guy, you know, half an hour conversation before you have to get the weed. Yeah, you know, and here it's just a in and out, uh right. It's just another product, but they still want to play it by credit card. Uh paying by credit card not coming for hemp anytime soon. Now they can pay by credit card for hemp right now. I just don't think the November 12th bailout for hemp is happening at all. And this this is just a letter from the Office of Management and Budget asking for money for the Iran war principally, and then to delay the enforcement or you know, you hasn't done anything. Thank you. FDA. Join back in, dude. FDA has not done anything. Well, and then

SAFE Banking Returns

SPEAKER_01 9:47

we got the Safe Banking Act back in the news. The Safe Banking Act, I wonder what number this is. Let's see, if they've introduced the Safe Banking Act in every Congress since 2019. Jesus. And there's this new Congress every two years. It'd be 2019, 2021, 2023, 2025. So this is like the fourth at least incantation of Safe Banking Act. And it's been introduced right before Congress ends, which is in my mind hilarious. Yeah. Because like that's how you can tell they're serious about this Safe Banking Act. Because the election is in November, and they just introduced it. Is that it this week, Senator Merkley reintroduced the Secure and Fair Enforcement Banking Act of 2026 with bipartisan support? Was it scheduled for a vote? No. Do you think you're gonna get a vote on safe banking between now and November 12th? No, you don't think even though all the money involved with like with the potential of what safe banking can do for like the taxes, most bills don't pass, A. Uh, B, this is the waning days of uh Congress. So we're talking about introducing a bill that you want to have be passed in June, late June of an election year. So what are you gonna do in July, August, September, and October? Are you gonna sit there and lobby and build a coalition to pass through bipartisan support and have it be signed by President Trump? Safe banking for marijuana. Well, I mean, so like but here's the thing it passed what, the Senate or the House? It passed it passed nothing. Well, no, but I was saying before though, uh, all how many times each time it was uh introduced, it passed the house, like what, three times? Yeah, and it dies in the Senate, right? Right, and and and why it was because of the rule of uh you have to get 60 votes in the Senate. And so that's your uh filibuster proof majority. And you can never get 60 senators to agree on anything because it's 4753, you know. They and then after this year, which is gonna be an election year, which is you know, politicking is already happening. You can see the posts on Facebook, and then the calls for people to give money is just gonna get bigger, and I don't think the Office of Management and Budget is gonna get any money for delaying him. I don't know, I just don't see that happening. They will get enough money, I think, to power the government through maybe December, maybe December 15th or something like that. But that's really all I see happening. Don't shut down the government, go win the election. Yeah, but just the potential that safe banking could give the like we talk about later with like uh the taxes and stuff, but there's just so much potential that it would that it would be great, uh, because then you know we wouldn't have to do all cash, yeah, or like you know, Dutch EP is an interesting thing. Shout out to Dutch Epay, that's pretty cool. You can you can go to the the site and you can check out online, have it already paid for, and then just pick up. Yeah, which that that is okay. Or is that just one of these things where it's gonna get shut down too? And then the the cashless ATMs will get a card reader eventually, and and then we'll be able to have people pay, but it's a debit card, it's not a credit card. The credit cards, people pay stuff on credit that they know they can't afford.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 13:13

Oh, it'd be great for sale. Well, like I'm just that I mean, I just don't know why I'm just emphasizing the importance of how that would be because like what we have the next story,

Cannabis Tax Windfall

SPEAKER_01 13:24

federal report states that banked nearly 15 billion in cannabis taxes, right? That's that's state taxes, though, right? Yes, that is. That's the U.S. Census Bureau updating its cannabis excise sales tax tracker through the first quarter of 2026. States collected about 825.1 million in cannabis excise taxes in Q1 2026. Yeah, 825 million of excise taxes. That's not IRC 280E. You know, and that's that's different. We'll see how that uh pans out here after the hearing in front of the DEA wraps up in

DEA Hearing Not Streamed

SPEAKER_01 14:00

July. Oh, the thing about the DEA here, not broadcast. Oh, right, and so like you have to wait, and then you get just like this, but it'll be frickin' tons more of it. Like, imagine like a book, like a like this thick, as thick as this bench of just paper that you could then read and don't just give it to Claude or give it to Chat GPT and be like, here, read this three weeks of testimony to me and find the most choice bits. And that that that show is coming, but that show we can't do until like whenever they release the transcripts, and they aren't gonna release those transcripts anytime soon.

SPEAKER_00 14:37

Will they get released like after like the decision's made if how that will work?

SPEAKER_01 14:40

Uh it yes, there was I don't know when that time is, but they will release the transcripts eventually. They just aren't gonna give it like an open hearing, you're not gonna be able to stream it. I believe the last time you were able to stream, uh the I I recall watching it, you know, but then it just didn't really go anywhere. They filed that interlocutory appeal, he was admonished, but yeah anyway. And now we'll see if the DEA really supports the government's position of moving it to schedule three. It just seems to be like a perfect storm with like you could have Safe Banking Act with the rescheduling, and then you know, we can get so much closer to like real uh markets, you know, where I can bring Washington State weed across or you know, California weed, like our next story. Yeah, man, because look at these top sales, and then again, these are the taxes. California, 152 million bucks in the first quarter, Washington State, 98 million. Good, good. Michigan, 73 million, New York, 69 million, Illinois, 64 million. Yeah, Washington really must tax the shit out of you guys. We have high taxes, yeah, Colorado at 53 million. Then that's why none of this

Regulated Market Culture

SPEAKER_01 15:49

is fair, right? Like, even my trepidation of being in uh uh adult use market has always been like there's culture, right? Like, like the and that's that was nice meeting a lot of people here yesterday who grow their own stuff, you know. There's a bunch of old heads that like, yeah, if you're really good at making sourdough bread, you're not gonna just have one sourdough bread for the rest of your life, you know. You know what we should do though? What's that? Well, we should try to maintain this amazing thing that we have going on. It's it's not just that time, it's past that time. Oh no. Oh, I'm gonna want to rip my vape pen, but do I do that on the screen? No, you do not so many regulators left. Hey, we should just give a shout out to the IDPFR, though. Yeah, you guys are awesome, IDPFR. And then you know who we get to pay pretty soon? Dutchy. Tax man. Oh yeah. Yep, tax man. It's like put that money in my hand. We're gonna be part of that $69.4 billion. That's that's exciting. I mean, like, we we legit have a store. Like, like, we are not broadcasting from no our stores, uh lobby area, lobby. We are not there. See, like, if we didn't do the grand opening yesterday, there'd be a lot more people in there today. No, I I think and again, just seeing how an adult use market shapes seeing it in in Washington state where uh the culture was strong with like the medical side of things, you know you know, that's where every state I think the culture starts, right? You have a bunch of outlaws, for lack of a better word, who are willing to take a chance on like, hey, this flimsy rule or flimsy law, uh, which is not really a uh protection, it was an affirmative defense, right? Anything medical, it's not an actual like uh prescription, you know, uh because all of them were like holistic or well, it's all illegal federally. Yeah, so it's gonna be very interesting. We're just in the very earliest days of this completely legal. Like if you're in Florida and a medical patient, it's legal, like like actually legal. Now, is it still de uh uh is it still FDA approved? No. Is it in compliance with food, drug, and cosmetic tact? No. But it seems like people really don't care about that. That's what I really think is gonna happen with him. Nothing. But then you know what you can do? Also, nothing. You could just create, like the FDA could just make up what full spectrum CBD is. They could just say, hey, you know, I realize this really isn't what we're supposed to do, but I'm gonna do it. And uh because that's what this presidency has kind of been about. It's like, wow, I thought we had rules. No, we don't really have rules as much. And so uh, why couldn't they say, here's what full spectrum C B D is? I realize that the statute says 0.4 milligrams per container. Uh, I'm gonna read that as two milligrams per container, or uh and I'm gonna define a container as a survey. Like, can they get can they be that silly? Or they could just not enforce the law at all. The whole thing's silly, right? Like the whole from from the beginning of prohibition to like uh it when I saw Washington State legalize it, where so many people who were on the medical side of things actually got hurt because the rules made it harder, like the money barrier, right? People were losing their ass left or right, or what whether someone put all their money in like one real estate and then that's place puts on a moratorium and crushes your dreams, right? The it kept shifting in real time for those people. And then in Oregon, when they legalized it, they just said, Hey, you're medical, flip your sign over. And you know, that transition is so much smoother, I thought, as far as like for an existing market, for an existing the culture, and and and you know, but again, these stores are just options, they're not like everybody's go-to. And but hopefully, now with like Illinois like changing the hybrid store, you know, yeah. That we're looking forward to being part of that. I'm

Carding Customers Live

SPEAKER_01 20:09

gonna have to card this kid. Um hopefully the security guy comes back, but yeah, yeah, otherwise we'll have to take a small break. Hey, how's it going, man? Yeah, go ahead, dude. All right, yeah. No, this is real time. This is what we're doing. Yeah, so right now Tom's got a uh card somebody coming in. Uh this is the the rules, this is how we play the game. Uh I haven't done this before yet. So what's up, genetic? Hey, thanks for joining us, man. This wall focused. Yeah, I uh it's wall focused. I mean, I get it. It's our um uh iPhone camera. It moves and yeah, yeah, you're more than 21. Uh there are people, yes, yes. It's a nice little button flow of people. It's a good Sunday. There you go. Hey, thank you. Hey, 162, we're building up. But you know, this is this is just sorry about that. I did not just card somebody so they can go into a place. That's not a place, that's not really a place. We are in a waiting room. I have to return a rental car. That's what I'm doing. Returning a rental car across the street from the courthouse in Taswell County, Illinois.

Newsom Targets Illegal Grows

SPEAKER_01 21:22

Anyway, Newsom, did you talk about this new tax? I have not. Oh goodness. So Newsom drops 227 million to hunt illegal groves in California. I tell you, when you must make uh they only made $115 million in uh $115 million in taxes, and so they're gonna spend well, that was just for the first quarter. So they're gonna take those tax dollars and reinvest them on putting the man, you know, not the man. What do you the guy? The the person who's the person that's like we just had to do uh the RC community and like thank you, sir. You may go in now. Uh the guy that the Newsom was fighting with the 227 million, they aren't carding. They don't card. When does your drug dealer card you? Well, it's like I don't want to see any right. I don't want any records. You know, California's got a like a mixed history with cannabis growers, right? Like, yeah, like there's always been people, like obviously the cartels who will like uh grow in the middle of the forest, and then you got the the humble outlaws who've been there for years that like they were getting harassed even during the you know, they still are because you know they could get licensed, they but then there's a lot of illicit grows, and a lot of the industry is off the books. Yeah, yeah. I mean, like there's a way, like I would say some of those guys are craft growers,

Legacy Growers Talk

SPEAKER_01 22:46

right? Like, I mean, I imagine most people want that weed from that one guy that, like, you know, you mean that legacy brand, you know, just yeah. I grow out of Rochelle, Illinois. Well, I'm products. You know that poetry of Plants did. Yeah, he's got good weed out here, gotta deal with that. Let's legacy growers, I tell you. No, they're they that that's the thing, right?

From Street to Store

SPEAKER_01 23:07

There's a transition. Like, if you wanna like when I was selling weed as a kid, there's no way I could have been a store level making that kind of money because it's very dangerous when you're carrying pounds. Yeah, and this is the funny thing. I was thinking about like when it comes to like culture and uh people in general, when we talk about like legacy or or the OGs and shit, like these people who brag about selling pounds, but in the end, not everybody's selling pounds, right? Like it's that to sell pounds, you know, you needed a network of people like I gotta sell pounds to this next guy, and then eventually it trickles down to someone who was like me who would buy a quarter pound and then hold on to one ounce and sell the three ounces, right? So you're describing organized crime.

SPEAKER_00 23:53

That's but like it was like a distribution network, though, right? To create something like that.

SPEAKER_01 23:59

But I mean, sometimes but yeah, but it's but it wasn't like the mafia, it's like well, you knew the grower, yeah, and the grower knew several people, and then it was upon those people to find their own people. It was an illicit, it was an illicit stream of cash, and so like similar to the mafia. So maybe those cigarettes weren't taxed and fell off a truck, you know? Yeah, yeah. All that that olive oil importation business. It's been very good to me. Like, you just import olive oil, sure, sure. Well, like the genetic, he he's in the chat and he was talking about how I just saw his comment about how he's been growing since the 90s. It was a 90s. I'm sure his stuff's great, but like like there's people who are gonna do that who who can self-sustain, but not everybody can be a grower, not everybody can be a brewer if you're gonna, you know. If I try growing a regular garden, I can only grow a salad, like one piece of lettuce and a tomato. Yeah, I don't even get to talking about my strawberries. That was lame. That was the last year. I'm growing

Safety and Regulation

SPEAKER_01 24:56

strawberries. But like there's like our society, we we go to the store to buy things, and that's kind of what the wheat store is about now, right?

SPEAKER_00 25:02

It's like legalization, whereas where it's like you wake up, do I want to go buy whiskey for the party, or do I want to go buy an ounce for the party?

SPEAKER_01 25:11

You know, like that's the world we're in and been trying to get to uh for options and and safety because when you have something like this safer here, yeah, this is a safe place to get it, and then the regulated market is safe, and so like we actually have to have a recall policy and strategies, and then there's protocols and there's there's uh rules regulations, thanks for coming in that you can follow, uh, and then you have a safer scheme. And so when you just have it from the guy, you know, being distributed without records illicitly, uh, you really don't know who's benefiting on the other end of the transaction or what is in the product. I mean, you there's a lot of trust that goes in growing your own, then you know what goes in the product. Not just safe product, but also safe access, right? Like, like I've drove into several alleys I shouldn't be, and or waiting in several parking lots where I shouldn't be. Like, like one out back by the way, um ample parking behind a certain place across from uh uh peaking court street uh courthouse. Look for the signs, there will be signs.

Military THC Waivers

SPEAKER_00 26:17

Speaking of signs, Congress moves to let Air Force, Space Force, and Marines take cannabis recruits.

SPEAKER_01 26:22

Yeah, that's good. I mean, we're getting ready for Schedule Three. Why wouldn't they be able to take those? But this is uh this is another bill, file a national defense authorization act. That sounds something like something that you need every year, and like the budget. Oh, right, right. So that's what Congress does. It does the budgets uh and and this authorization act would allow them to take recruits with a THC waiver system if that recruit tests positive for cannabis. Well similar to the ones that the Army and Navy already have. I got one of those. I think somebody filled out a false report, and that's how no, no, I got a waiver, like when I got in the navy. That's how she did it once, right? Well, as the story goes, I did it once, and then I got in trouble again, and then my recruiter said, Don't tell nobody. That's it, but you know, I mean, like that's that's just my relationship with this plant, man. That's one of my multiple arrests that helped me get to the spot that we're in. So, you know, um good. You know, the the moral of the story is getting arrested for weed can be a good thing, typically not. I mean, like well, in the first time it cost me ten thousand dollars because I was gonna go in the navy with ten thousand dollar bonus and an advanced computer school. Oh, and then when I got my waiver, they were like, Yep, we're gonna take that away. And luckily enough, I'm smart enough that they kept me within the electronics area, so it's like, thank god. But like uh could have been a corporal. Do they have corporals in the navy? They don't have that yeah. No, I I mean I could have been definitely like thought I was gonna retire, but because I had the electronics background that I got from the military and decided nope, this is not for me

Weed Tests and Culture

SPEAKER_01 28:01

no more. But uh, I don't think it should be a bright line disqualification, you know. There are so many people in the Navy that uh did they test you for like being drunk? Never, never. Matter of fact, there's many times I stood in in at quarters very drunk from four o'clock in the morning from the night, drinking before that uh the culture was encouraged, right? That's why, like, my advocacy, you know, in the military, I saw so many people just doing hard drugs because it's out of your system in two days, and and and every nobody wanted to smoke weed because you know it's the easiest one to fail because it just hangs out there, yeah. Like you can test positive for weed for weeks, yeah. Yeah, and then it's a lowest hanging fruit, and like it's this like the least harmful. That's why you can test positive for weeks. Yeah, you know, all these other drugs, alcohol, they your body's like, oops, it's got it in again. Put the liver to work, we're getting rid of this stuff, you know. Uh yeah, what extra alcohol just hangs out? But like I said, so many people like doing cocaine and ecstasy and all the other stuff because like you're like, why not? You can't tell.

SPEAKER_00 29:01

And I'm like, because it's fucking you up, you know.

SPEAKER_01 29:05

But uh yeah, no, it's good that hopefully, you know, all the branches should like that shouldn't be a thing that holds you back. Yeah, well, we'll see if this one actually makes it through. But the National Defense Authorization Act, that sounds like something you have to you have to fund and you have to kind of whittle on every year. I mean, that's kind of how we got him. Seriously, yeah. 2018 Farm Bill. Uh that what's where where did that get pushed? They usually get pushed into the budget somewhere. The farm bill is supposed to help with spending on agriculture, right? And then it it helped instead create a new definition that was stupid. Like you just hope that Congress does not figure out how to classify hemp correctly. What again? I mean, I don't know if the rule making was stupid or the people pushing the limits of it, right? Like I get it, and again, I'll people hate it when I say make that bag, because like I would have done the same thing, I would have been selling bags of weed. If I was like like the younger kids now that were like on the blinkers and stuff, like like my ambition was always what is a blinker? That's a freaking vape, that's all it is. But like if you if you drag it long enough, it blinks. That's the whole thing, was like that's the shtick, right? Like everything's a gimmick. Uh-huh. And so, like, that's the whole thing. If you can suck it long enough and then it blinks, you know, you're getting your good hit or whatever. It's never about like oh yeah, it's kind of like smoking weed for the high TAC. Yeah, it's dumb shit. Yeah, but uh, you know, it's a thing if the thing should work. But yeah, I support this, and I hope that this actually gets into the budget and passes that so that they uh they don't have to uh fail these children that have that have failed like the the least harmful drug test there is, right? No, it's a good thing. A clearer, more consistent waiver process and report back to Congress. Don't let active duty service members use canvas. Well, that's the next rule is going to change. I mean, I think of rescheduling, you know, that's just gonna be a pet. And these are all baby steps. Why is it easier to put someone in jail than it is to fix it, right? Well, you know, let's be honest, it was easier to put somebody on the moon than we'll legalize can. My god, dude. You make me want to get high so bad. Uh well,

HBCU Scholarship Bill

SPEAKER_01 31:23

then you should consider going to an HBCU. As they uh have the Educate Act, the federal with can't federal cannabis scholarships at HBCUs. Now, this is one of those bills that checks all the boxes for a cannabis bill. First, it's the Educate Act, so you know that that is a uh an ornate complex acronym. Second, it is introduced into Congress as a standalone bill, not part of like an uh an appropriation authorization act, but it's a standalone bill. So uh you know that it's got like a 3% chance of living, if at all. And then uh it is introduced in late June of an election year. But let what does the Education Educate Act actually stand for? Establishing and developing university cannabis agriculture techniques. We almost have a word here, we need something else. And excellence act of 2026, educate act, yeah. Where the most impressive thing about the Educate Act was the press release they sent out. Yeah, no, 100%. I mean, you know, this isn't gonna go nowhere. I mean, it sounds good in theory, but unfortunately, when you focus on a minority-based type thing, it's not gonna go anywhere. Like well, it's not gonna go anywhere, and then even if no, none of the don't focus on a minority-based thing. So make it not just for uh historically black colleges and universities, make it for any university. There you go. It's still not going anywhere.

SPEAKER_00 32:51

You know, that I think something absolutely not.

SPEAKER_01 32:53

It can be pushed, but no, like you'd have more support and more people. Well, you would have more support and more people, but uh it still wouldn't go anywhere. Safe banking's never gone anywhere. True story. The only time they would pass the rescheduling act or the safe banking act was when it was a Democratic majority Congress and they knew it was gonna go nowhere in the Senate. Okay, that was just crazy. You make me sad, Tom. I hate to be in rules. I just that's why we gotta get through the schedule three, kick me and screaming, and then we might be in medical cannabis territory at the federal level for over a decade. Eh, so far, but yeah, we're so much farther than we were, you know.

Guam Licensing Delays

SPEAKER_01 33:29

Yeah, no, we've almost made it as far as Guam. Why do I think we're gonna have Schedule three for like over a decade? Because of Guam. Sure. Yeah, first cannabis permits seven years after legalized. That's awesome. And you know, it's funny, I always thought Guam was a province, but it's not, it's the whole country. Yeah, yeah, it is not like the first state, it's not like Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands, you know. I mean, even though we do have a base there, but that's amazing that they uh they have a cannabis control board. Fucking hey, dude. But they're finally uh issuing out permits after seven years, yeah. To the Guam Real Deal LLC doing business as deep green guam. That's gonna be a hard one for the tourists to say. Oh my god. I mean, I think this definitely increased like uh once they get a market going, right? Like uh well, this is just the producer processor, they still don't have any licenses for retail. So come on, Guam. Give me a place to travel to. No way. That that Guam license is going to exactly who runs Guam. That that person knows exactly who's getting that license. Uh, do you think uh like TrueLeave or uh any of these other big players gonna try and get over there? No way, no way. The footprint's just not there. I bet they they you do the math and you're probably like no. Well, I mean, I bet like like one store, one grow, but I mean these people jumped into Thailand, right? Like, like uh cookies jumped over there. Yeah, that did not end well for them, did it? Well, it's because they didn't have a real market or real rules, still with their like prime minister, whoever's in charge, the king that uh you know they keep flipping and flopping with the rules, kind of like the VA does. Like, what's what can the vets go? But like, yeah, I mean, like, I think Guam could be a good opportunity if you if you have a good how many people live in Guam. How many Guamees are there? And do we call them Chamaros? Chamaro Chamaro, yeah. Where the heck did they get Chamaro from? That doesn't even sound like Guam. Well, I mean, Guam's probably more uh uh American. Actually, I don't know the history of the name of Guam. But, anyways, uh did you know that only 7,500 people live in Guam? Well, so it's a very small market. I don't know if that's that okay. I mean, I wouldn't doubt the small nation of Guam. Yeah, I know a couple guys, I know a couple uh being a Polynesian, but uh um I would definitely love the visit there if they legalized it.

SPEAKER_00 35:46

Oh my god, I'd be amazing.

SPEAKER_01 35:47

Middle of the Pacific, right? Fuck yeah. Yeah, I would love to do that. How about you? Would you go to Guam? Yeah, well, you you can grow weed there legally, but then who are they gonna sell their crop to? They have not done the retail yet. So we'll have we'll have more Guam news in a few months. What about outsourcing though? Like Canada fucking ships, though. That could be a Guam out export. I don't know. Guam famous for their strains, is it's like the Hindo Kish Kush. I'm just saying to do it right, you got a whole market because what Canada's setting it to uh Europe, right? Germany and everything. I don't know. Well, that's you're gonna see the America start to export to Europe too. One day you watch that America will be exporting to Europe its cannabis products, and Europe will just take so long that there won't be any European cannabis products. Oh man, they're so far

Hawaii Hemp Crackdown

SPEAKER_01 36:39

behind. But Hawaii's catching up. They're doing a hemp crackdown. Sorry there, Brian. Well, you know, Brian is big into the hemp Hawaii uh you know marketplace. The Department of Health and Attorney General before and for it began enforcement and registration of product compliance rules made for manufactured hemp products. You know, the fee's pretty modest for one of these hemp producer licenses 50 bucks for five years, but you have compliance. Again, all with rescheduling, the hemp is gonna every state now has been making rules. We still have the raids that are coming around, like like uh, and I don't even know why people like still want the beverages around where each state has like I don't know, I mean I do get it, Kentucky, it's money, Indiana, but like places where the real people can don't have access, right? Like they're still um oh we went out to the restaurant yesterday. Remember, they they said that since they because in this city they've banned uh the hemp beverages and the hemp, the non-regulated hemp. And so uh the people didn't they somebody asked for it once, they asked for it one time, yeah, since they banned it in March. So there's not like a lot of demand there, but we're not in a fancy area of the city, yeah. I mean, she even noticed she said there's there's no notice of like demand for it, which you know she didn't even fill it. So

Hemp Homes and Industry

SPEAKER_01 37:58

yeah, and then also on the hemp news, hemp houses are keeping Europe cool in the heat wave because everybody's melting. Hey, welcome. Uh this one's kind of cool. I mean, again, this is what hemp should be. That was what hemp was supposed to be. Yeah, industry, rope, not dope. That's the uh rhyme goes, right? A t-shirt. I mean, hemp was supposed to save the world because it can. I mean, it's still cannabis, but like the the industrial materials, that's what we're we're we're looking for, right? But being oil, petroleum, building material.

Weed Pellet Smoker Idea

SPEAKER_01 38:32

You're talking about trying to he he has you have a Traeger? What's you have got? Oh, yeah, it's a Traeger. I gotta smoke a smoker. And so he wants to make from hemp pellets for a smoker. Not hemp. I'm gonna make weed pellets. I want to use canvas. You want to infuse Claude fucking talk me through it. I need 30 pounds. If you're out there, I need 30 pounds of weed, and I'm gonna, you know, there's a pellet making machine, and you just mix it with like sugar or something, honey, I think, to congeal it, so you grind it, and then you have to mix it with something so you can get that pellet texture, and then you put it in the pellet thing in it. Well, we just double our limits. Maybe what we need to do is is reach out to the clients that have the cultivation producing licenses and talk to them about hey, I've got this crazy idea, but I think the dudes will love it because then when they go smoke their stuff, they would buy like and then consider when we can make we could use like the some of the crummier ounces because you're gonna need that you're gonna smoke it anyway. I want to smoke my smoked brisket. Right. I want my smoked, I'm gonna infuse my brisket with an ounce, you know. Um, we'll talk to some guys welcome about uh about the idea, yeah and see and see if anybody is full enough to do it. 36 pounds. I need 36 pounds. And I think that's our stories, man. Yep. I think that's it. And if your battery lasted almost an hour, we've been here. Yeah, I think it's doing all right. And maybe if I go here, I'll uh I'll totally lose the feed. But by now, oh, it's at 58%. We can still do it. Awesome, dude.

Dispensary Walkthrough

SPEAKER_01 39:59

So yeah, we uh the next thing I think we need to do is we need to take the show on the road. Don't really want to go. Oh, like this. Oh, we want to show people awesome. Let's do it. Oh, I forgot. You got the phone. Got the phone there, too.

SPEAKER_00 40:14

Yep, yep.

SPEAKER_01 40:16

Oh shit. There we go. Can you flip it? No, no, no, it's fine. You just keep walking. Okay. Now you have to go a little further out. All right, all right, there you go. This is uh this is the height of streaming and uh entertainment. So why don't you go ahead and start showing them the place around here, Mickey? Well, actually, should we go to the entrance? Yeah, yeah, sure. Okay, oh shit. Let's go outside. Oh, it's a little hot out here. Man, you don't even have to lick the stamps on a day like today. So we shop! Courthouse! Courthouse. We shop! Courthouse! I love this. Uh that is uh we got we have Yeah we're open! Come on in Yeah, and then so with this space is empty. Uh obviously here's the entrance to the our our waiting room regulated area. There's the regulated area. There we go. We can't take it back there. Yeah, that's the donor. I guess we literally could, but like we would get in trouble. We like our and then this is our flex space or the the big the big room where we'll have lounges for events. No, so much potential here uh that would work out. Is my head blocking everything? Yeah, I'm I'm just gonna do like a little bit. It's it's kind of like a lunar eclipse, but like you know you said, yeah. All right.

Wrap Up and Sponsor

SPEAKER_01 41:43

Well, oh, we're doing pretty well, and I think we should just uh wrap her up. Say that we'll see you next time. We'll be in our regularly scheduled areas. Yeah, thanks for joining us. Thanks for joining us. Oh, don't forget likes and subscribes. Likes, love, subscribe. The cannabis space is not just about product categories and compliance, it's also about deals and disputes. Every compliance misstep can become litigation leverage. The Howard Law Group. They specialize in cannabis MA, strategic transactions, and high stakes litigation for operators, brands, and investors. In license control, partnership disputes, or regulatory interpretations threaten value. They know how to protect it. There's a link below to Howard Law Group. If you're looking to lock down council,