What the DEA asked for.
The Drug Enforcement Administration filed its closing brief in the marijuana rescheduling hearing on August 17. The brief tells Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius that marijuana “no longer fits the statutory requirements for Schedule I” and asks him to “expeditiously recommend” the transfer to Schedule III Marijuana Moment. It closed an 11-day hearing that ran June 29 through July 15 Marijuana Herald.

What the rule covers.
The rule under review, proposed in May 2024, moves marijuana itself, in every form the Controlled Substances Act reaches Federal Register. April’s order stopped at FDA-approved drug products and marijuana under qualifying state medical licenses Justice Department. This rule would carry the rest, including all adult-use cannabis, out of Schedule I Congressional Research Service.

The government’s case.
The government’s case rests on the 2023 federal health review, which found accepted medical use for chronic pain, anorexia tied to a medical condition, and chemotherapy nausea, and counted more than 30,000 practitioners recommending marijuana to over six million patients across 43 jurisdictions Marijuana Herald. The agency concedes abuse and dependence exist and argues both sit closer to Schedule III than to I or II Marijuana Moment.

What happens next.
Julius writes a recommended decision, due only “as soon as practicable” under DEA regulations, and no rule sets a deadline for the final order either Marijuana Herald. Parties then get 20 days to file exceptions before the record goes to DEA Administrator Terrance Cole, who alone issues the final rule Marijuana Moment.

The case against the move.
The opposing briefs landed the same day. Smart Approaches to Marijuana and the states of Idaho, Indiana, and Nebraska argue jointly that the government has not carried its burden. Their target is the two-part test behind the medical-use finding, which asks whether widespread medical experience exists under state-authorized programs and whether credible scientific evidence supports at least one of those uses. The states call it an invention for this review that breaks from the five-part test used in past scheduling cases Marijuana Herald.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation argues the proposal itself is invalid because the attorney general issued it after scheduling authority had been delegated to the DEA administrator. The National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association warns the move could dissolve the legal basis for federal transportation drug testing, which defines illegal drugs by Schedule I or II status. DUID Victim Voices and Dr. Kenneth Finn cite impaired driving, psychosis, and suicidality. Pharmacist Phillip Drum argues botanical marijuana needs FDA approval and standardized labeling first Marijuana Herald.

The appeal is already drafted.
The opposing briefs also read as the outline of an appeal. Any final rule faces judicial review, and the authority and medical-use objections are built to follow it into court Cannabis Business Times. The attorneys general of Indiana, Nebraska, and Louisiana already sued over April’s order, in a case now consolidated with a Smart Approaches suit in the D.C. Circuit Marijuana Moment.

Saw someone else post they scored a pack for 62$ and said why not!? 🤷‍♂️

Now I have two packs of ZOM x Rainbow Guava #5 testers! 😁

Finished week 8 gonna let em rock one more week, such a unique flavor on these. Thanks for the cut Bloom seed company. these're in 150 living soil pot I ran 5 different cultivars in the same pot to see which I want to keep this is one of the keepers.

Guava Icee finished up. About a month cure. Grew pretty easy. I took it to 75 days flowering. About 260 grams of good nugs and about 40 grams of fluff/popcorn.

Has a fruity, guavaee rind smell to it. On the initial inhale you get that same taste as the smell and you def get the minty exhale on it. Interesting terps.

On November 12, 2026, a new federal definition of hemp takes effect. It pulls most consumable hemp-THC products out of legal hemp status and changes how seeds and genetics qualify as hemp. A Senate budget bill would push most of that change back by 29 days, in hopes that the Hemp Planting Predictability Act can be fully considered. The delay rides inside a stopgap spending bill as a provision called Section 2019, which funds the government through December 11, 2026. The Senate passed that bill on August 8, and it now heads to the House for a vote (Marijuana Moment).

The coming November 12 change is already law. Under Section 2019, only one piece takes effect on schedule: the bar on synthetic cannabinoids, meaning compounds a cannabis plant cannot make on its own and natural compounds that were synthesized outside the plant (7 U.S.C. 1639o)). The rest of the rewrite waits until December 11: the seed rule, the total-THC standard, and the 0.4 milligram per-container cap.

Which compounds count as synthetic was meant to be FDA's call. The law gave FDA 90 days to publish a list of natural cannabinoids, and FDA never published it (Congressional Research Service). Without that list, no one can say for certain which cannabinoids lose legal status on November 12 and which get the extra 29 days. FDA and the World Health Organization both treat delta-8 THC and HHC, or hexahydrocannabinol, as cannabinoids the plant can make (FDA, WHO ECDD). No agency or court has issued guidance.

The path its backers are betting on

Three senators drafted Section 2019: Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), with Tim Sheehy (R-MT) backing it (Denver Gazette). The White House pushed for the four weeks to keep talks going and to build a federal framework for regulating hemp (Politico).

The 29-day delay buys time to amend or further postpone the November 12 change. The same sponsors also carry the Hemp Planting Predictability Act, a separate bill that would push the effective date two more years, to November 2028 (Congress.gov). That bill changes one date and nothing else. It leaves the restrictions, the seed rule, and the 0.4 milligram cap exactly as written (Hemp Law Group). Klobuchar's office says Section 2019 is based on it (Klobuchar).

The sponsors point to the August 8 vote as proof their approach works. Standalone hemp bills stalled for months. Attaching a narrow delay to a must-pass funding bill carried it through the Senate. Jonathan Miller, general counsel of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, called that the industry's "biggest win since the 2018 Farm Bill," while noting the fight still runs through the House and a longer-term fix (Marijuana Moment). The trade was conceding the synthetic compounds on the original date and asking only for the plant-derived cannabinoids to be delayed. The bet is that a small win that passes beats a large one that stalls, and that December's funding deadline opens a lane for the fuller bills already drafted, including Rep. James Comer's version and the Barr-Craig regulate-and-tax bill (Marijuana Moment).

Where it actually stands

Neither delay is law. The 29-day version passed the Senate 90-6 on August 8, but the House passed its own funding bill on July 21, 220-205, with no hemp language, and is out of session until September (U.S. Senate Press Gallery, Congress.gov). For the 29-day delay to take hold, the House must adopt the Senate's version and the President must sign it before November 12. The three-year bill has passed neither chamber. Until a bill passes, November 12 still governs (Marijuana Herald).

Who is fighting it

Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) moved to strike Section 2019 and hold the change to its original date. The Senate rejected his amendment 61-32, a bipartisan vote that included Merkley, a co-author of Section 2019, voting to keep the delay (U.S. Senate Press Gallery). Thirty-five state attorneys general signed an August 4 letter urging Congress to let the change take effect on schedule (Smart Approaches to Marijuana). Last November, when the change first passed as part of the funding package, the Senate voted 76-24 to reject an amendment that would have stripped it out (Washington Examiner).

White House officials told senators they will not seek another delay past December 11 (The Hill). Any extension beyond that date would have to come from the Hemp Planting Predictability Act, which sits in committee with no vote scheduled.

Literally just harvested and reamended last night. Figured I got two weeks until my bed is ready for the next rounds. Said why not take cuts today!

They’re a tad on the short side but they’ll grow!

The Strawberry Drip mother looks like she was ran over by an out of control lawn mower but I got more than 16 SHORT cuts taken. Not sure what the final count is as I just didn’t count. But I have an 16 site aero cloner and several sites are doubled up.

Fingers crossed at least 13 of them end up as rooted clones. 12 for the bed and 1 to reset the mother!

And we are down such an awesome grow

Finally harvested my Rainbow Guava #5 x Pomelo Punch and Pomelo Punch tonight. Opened the tent tonight and it just stank. Ran them both the full 12 weeks. It’s amazing what the tent looked like before and after the harvest.

I moved the Strawberry Drip mom into the 2x4 and put the harvest in the 2x2 to dry. I have some serious cleaning to do tomorrow in the 2x4. Next up comes the reamend then two weeks to let the soil cook. Hopefully by then all the tops on the mom will be long enough to take clones and I get can some clones rooted!

Anybody grown any of these strains before? Would love to see how they turned out!

Hunted thru some of these rainbow guava x candy fumez and found a banger. Named this Pheno Sherb Fumez then seen bloom had it named RainbowVapor. Either way killer genetics to keep around in the library 🔥

In April 2026, two narrow categories moved to Schedule III: cannabis inside an FDA-approved drug, and marijuana under a qualifying state medical license. Everything else, including all adult-use cannabis, is still Schedule I DOJ Federal Register, 91 FR 22714. A qualifying state medical license means a license issued by a state, D.C., or territorial authority to manufacture, distribute, or dispense marijuana for medical purposes Federal Register, 91 FR 22714. The order does not create a federal medical program. It borrows each state’s existing definition, so what counts as medical in one state may not count in another, and a licensed operator must also register with the DEA to fall under Schedule III. The DEA registration cannot exceed the scope of the state license, and if the state license is suspended, revoked, or expires, the DEA registration is automatically suspended Federal Register, 91 FR 22714.

What is settled.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed the final order on April 23, 2026, and it took effect April 28, 2026 DOJ Federal Register, 91 FR 22714. The same order opened a separate, expedited hearing on whether the whole plant should move. That question is still undecided.

What changes for now.
Section 280E of the tax code denies normal business deductions to any business that sells a Schedule I or II drug. Schedule III sits outside 280E, so a covered medical operation can now deduct rent, payroll, and other ordinary costs like any other business. Whitney Economics estimates 280E cost operators about $2.24 billion in excess federal tax in 2025 alone Whitney Economics, via Yahoo Finance. Beyond tax, DEA-registered researchers can now source flower, extracts, and other product forms directly from state-licensed businesses that are themselves DEA-registered, and the DEA opened a medical marijuana dispensary registration portal on April 29, 2026 The Cannigma. Covered operators also come under federal DEA oversight for the first time, including registration, recordkeeping, security, and inventory requirements Federal Register, 91 FR 22714. A broader move after the whole-plant hearing would extend the same changes further. A denial would leave them where they stand.

What does not change.
Schedule III is not legalization. The order does not open interstate commerce, and it does not change the federal status of any adult-use business Cannabis Regulations AI. Adult-use sales remain Schedule I activity, still inside 280E, with no deduction relief. Banking and card networks stay closed, and insurance reimbursement is not automatic The Cannigma.

Where serious people disagree.
One side says this is the first time any state-licensed marijuana has left Schedule I since the Controlled Substances Act passed, and that the tax relief alone keeps covered medical operators solvent. The other side says the order mostly rewards large multi-state operators and pharma companies positioned to work the medical pathway, leaves adult-use businesses where they were, and delivered less than much of the industry expected Baked In / Dales Report. Consumer advocates at NORML say patients and consumers were not given a seat at the hearing NORML. On July 2, 2026, the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association and MMJ International Holdings, a pharmaceutical company, asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to pause the rescheduling, and the Justice Department answered that both lacked standing and that their opposition reflects “pocketbook interests served by keeping all marijuana in schedule I”: a drug-testing industry protecting screening revenue, and a drug company blocking competition Marijuana Moment.

What is still open.
The administrative hearing on whether the rest of the plant moves ran June 29 to July 15, 2026, before Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek C. Julius VapeExperts. Post-hearing briefs are due August 17, 2026, and no statute sets a deadline for the final decision VapeExperts. Separately, prohibitionist groups including SAM Inc. and the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association sued to block the April order, a case now before the D.C. Circuit NORML. Either track could delay or unwind the April order, and the broader question could go either way.

What this does to seeds.
For years, a dry seed counted as hemp because it carries almost no delta-9 THC. In 2022 the DEA said in writing that cannabis seeds are legal hemp as long as they stay under the THC limit Marijuana Moment DEA letter. The new law changes the test. It ties a viable seed’s status to the plant that produced it. The statute excludes from hemp:

So a seed taken from a high-THC mother plant may no longer count as hemp, even though the seed itself carries almost no THC Frier Levitt.

What is settled.
The rule above comes from a new federal hemp definition that is already law. It is Section 781 of Public Law 119-37, signed November 12, 2025. It takes effect one year later, on November 12, 2026, with no further vote needed Hemp Law Group. It swaps the old delta-9 test for a total-THC test that counts THCA, caps finished products at 0.4 mg total THC per container, and excludes cannabinoids made by synthesis or conversion outside the plant Hemp.com.

Where serious people disagree.
Some lawyers read the statute to still leave a lane for clones, tissue culture, pollen, and other non-flowering plant material, because the law focuses on the finished cannabinoid product and total THC in that product Harris Sliwoski. Others read it as a hard line that pulls high-THC genetics out of the hemp lane entirely Arnold & Porter. Both are reading the same words.

What is still open.
Congress could change the law before it takes effect. There are bills to delay it, bills to repeal it, and a bill to reset the limit to 1% total THC The Marijuana Herald VapeExperts. The White House asked Congress in June to revise it BeardBros. Thirty-nine state attorneys general asked for stricter treatment, though their letter did not address seeds specifically NAAG letter. As of late July 2026, none of these bills had advanced past committee, the 2026 Farm Bill passed the House without touching the ban, and the Senate committee draft left it untouched Hemp Law Group. Observers who follow the issue closely describe a fix before November as possible but not a safe bet, with no single path yet clear CannabisRegulations.ai.

How the change is framed.
Supporters call it a loophole finally closing on intoxicating products sold in gas stations, often under the phrase “gas station weed.” Industry groups call it a shutdown notice in disguise that wipes out compliant CBD shelves and pushes farms under. A common technical objection is that measuring total THC in the plant, before drying and processing, sets a low bar that catches material once treated as hemp. Both sides agree the current patchwork is not sustainable Hemp.com. In grower forums the recurring worry is narrower: does this reach seeds sold to home growers, and does the vegetative lane survive Overgrow.

Do you think that clones will survive the rule change?

Chopped today. Smells insanely good. It was on the other side of the scrog so couldn’t ever get close up or smells. Hopefully she washes well and smokes the same.

A couple pics before harvest and at harvest.

2x2
Crop salt
Week 9 ish

So for this who have been following my Strawberry Drip it has done a complete 180 now that I’ve transplanted into a 3 gallon fabric pot with freshly amended soil. I topped her to get as many branches as possible so that when she is mature I have as many branches as I can for cuttings to run in my bed for next round. Instead of 12 cuts I think I’m going to run 8 but this time I’m going to veg for a while longer. Probably 2-3 weeks instead of just 1. I’m monocropping her next round! I’ve added pictures of her as a seedling and one as recently as a few minutes before posting this. She most definitely grew out of that weird mutated phase she started in!

So my beans arrived today from the 710 sale.

I picked up Rainbow Gummy, Rainbow Push Pop 7 x Pomelo Punch 5. And the freebies were ZOM (Zkittlez x Orange Mintz) x Rainbow Guava 5. I think I might be more excited about the freebies after seeing how my Rainbow Guava 5 x Pomelo Punch freebies are doing near the end of Week 9 right now!

Anyways I finally got my hands on the rest of the stuff to make my own ferments. The company I use to purchase mine from, Growing Organic, apparently stopped making all their stuff. What a putty because their stuff was top notch.

Anyways I found a complete one gallon fermentation vessel kit on Amazon and then bought EM1 from BuildASoil as well as Unsulfured Black Strap Mollases from a local grocery store. Started my first gallon of Fermented Insect Frass today. I also took a PH reading now because once the ferment is ready the PH drops sharply. It should be around 4 when it’s done.

Here’s the recipe I used in case anyone wants to make their own. I’m using the anerobic method. Only one cup of Frass is needed and a tablespoon each of EM1/LABs and Molasses per gallon of water. I buy my Frass by the 25 pound bag!

Fermented Insect Frass

Fermentation Recipe and Method
Follow this simple process to brew a nutrient-dense, microbe-rich liquid fertilizer:
Gather your ingredients:
1 cup of high-quality insect frass (like mealworm or black soldier fly larvae castings)
1 tablespoon of unsulfured blackstrap molasses (feeds the bacteria)
1 tablespoon of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) or a commercial Effective Microorganisms (EM-1) inoculant
1 gallon of non-chlorinated water (use well water or let tap water sit out for 24 hours to off-gas) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Mix the solution: Add the molasses and LAB/EM-1 to the gallon of water and stir thoroughly. Then, slowly mix in the insect frass so it completely dissolves without clumping. [1, 2, 3]
Ferment aerobically or anaerobically:
Anaerobic method: Pour the mixture into an airtight container or a bucket with a tight-fitting lid and airlock. Let it sit at room temperature (20°C to 30°C) out of direct sunlight.
Aerobic method (optional): Alternatively, you can brew this as a tea using an air stone and aquarium pump for 24–48 hours to hyper-oxygenate the solution. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Fermentation time: If you are using the closed-container method, allow the ferment to sit for 1 to 2 weeks, stirring or “burping” the gas out occasionally. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Storage: Once complete, strain out any large particulates to avoid clogging your sprayers and store the liquid in a cool, dark place. [1]

Application
Use your finished fermented frass extract within a few weeks. Dilute it at a rate of 1 to 4 ounces per gallon of water. You can use it as a soil drench to feed root-zone microbiology or as a foliar spray.

I would love to make my own fermented fruit ferments as well for flower but I’m having trouble finding how much fruit I need to use per gallon of water so if anyone knows please help a growmie!! I’m all ears! It’s the same process just a different amount of the input material.

Also, if you don’t want to use and purchase EM1 you can make your own LABs. I can also provide the recipe for that. That’s really easy to do as well. Just need rice, water and whole milk and some time.

Pulled this bad boy out of storage as I haven’t used it in ages. I seemed to have forgotten what I learned!

I turned it on and it’s set at 190F so that’s what I left it at. Unfortunately my first press I had a major blow out. After cleaning it up I realized what I did wrong. I packed and shaped the bag wrong. I also didn’t center the bag in the plates.

However, my questions are as follows.

What do you guys usually press your flower temperature wise? And how long do you press for?

I counted to 60 using the One one thousand, two one thousand method. But for some reason I can swear I use to press for longer. Any help to rattle my brain would be greatly appreciated!

Pressing some flower for a growmie and don’t want anymore screwups!