DEA Judge Handling Cannabis Rescheduling Retires, Shifting Reform to Trump’s New DEA Leader

The federal push to move cannabis to Schedule III just hit a major roadblock. Judge John Mulrooney, who was presiding over the DEA's rescheduling hearings, has officially retired. Because the law requires an administrative judge for these proceedings and the DEA currently has none, the whole case has been dumped onto the desk of the new DEA Administrator, Terrance Cole. While Cole says he’ll prioritize the review, he has a history of making skeptical comments about the plant's health effects, leaving the future of the Biden-era reform up in the air.

This news is a real buzzkill for the community because it adds even more bureaucratic delay to a process that’s already been dragging for years. For everyday tokers, this matters because rescheduling is the first step toward ending the unfair 280E tax on small businesses and opening the door for serious medical research. It’s a classic case of political musical chairs, and unfortunately, it’s the patients and local shops left waiting for clarity while the suits figure out who’s in charge.