State regulators press DEA for cannabis rescheduling guidance • Ohio package-size and potency rules now in effect • Los Angeles delays license-renewal tax rule one year
|
NEW REALM BREWING
Daily Compliance Brief
|
|
|
Vol. 1 • Edition 56 • Thursday, October 8, 2026 • Alcohol & Hemp/THC Regulation • Federal + All 50 States
|
|
|
Good morning — here's the regulatory picture for alcohol and hemp/THC beverages, readable in about three minutes. Every headline links to the original source.
|
|
Top Story
|
State regulators say DEA has not answered their marijuana rescheduling questions
FEDERAL / MULTISTATE • Marijuana Moment • Oct 7
State cannabis regulators from Georgia, Vermont and California said the DEA has not provided implementation guidance on the federal move of state-regulated medical marijuana products to Schedule III, with Vermont Cannabis Control Board chair James Pepper saying a list of questions sent by a state regulators' association received “radio silence.” California's Department of Cannabis Control said some states are beginning to see DEA inspections of federally registered marijuana businesses, and the Cannabis Regulators Association's executive director wrote that the DEA has “not meaningfully engaged” states on implementation.
Why it matters: Partners operating or supplying state-licensed cannabis businesses face unresolved federal questions on registration, labeling and tax treatment — and early DEA inspections are already underway in some registered facilities — so documentation and label files should be kept inspection-ready.
|
|
|
Federal
DEA denies MedPharm's bulk marijuana manufacturing registration, citing unregistered production
FEDERAL • Federal Register • Oct 7
In a decision published October 7 and effective November 6, the DEA denied Denver-based MedPharm Research LLC's application to register as a bulk Schedule I marijuana manufacturer, finding that affiliated companies under the same CEO had manufactured marijuana for the recreational market without DEA registration. The order notes the denial does not bar an application under the newer expedited framework for holders of state medical marijuana licenses. Why it matters: The DEA is weighing applicants' prior state-market activity in the new federal registration framework — a factor for any partner or supplier now preparing registration filings.
|
|
Around the States
Ohio package-size, potency and purchase rules now in effect for marijuana products
OHIO • WOWO News • Oct 7
Ohio Division of Cannabis Control rules that took effect Monday cap flower at one ounce per package, limit vape cartridges to 2 grams and 90% THC with a three-device purchase limit, and cap adult-use edibles and beverages at 10 mg THC per portion (rule package). Why it matters: Ohio retailers need to confirm shelf stock meets the new package-size caps, and the 10 mg-per-portion limit now governs any adult-use THC beverage format sold in the state.
Minnesota retailer Top Ten Liquors says it will keep stocking THC products
MINNESOTA • Brewbound • Oct 7
Owner and CEO Jon Halper said the Minnesota off-premise chain plans to keep selling THC products even if the federal ban takes effect in December, writing that “we plan to keep supporting the brands that have invested in this category.” Why it matters: A signal of how large hemp-beverage retail accounts are positioning inventory and supplier commitments ahead of the December federal effective date.
Sierra Nevada ends Coors Distributing relationship, moves to Reyes in Denver area
COLORADO • Brewbound • Oct 7
Sierra Nevada is leaving the portfolio of Molson Coors-owned Coors Distributing Company in the Denver area and moving to Reyes, which Brewbound reports as part of a broader pattern of suppliers exiting the distributor. Why it matters: Another large craft supplier consolidating into Reyes reshapes route-to-market dynamics that Colorado retailers and competing distributors price and plan against.
Los Angeles delays license-renewal tax rule for cannabis businesses by one year
CALIFORNIA • LAist • Oct 6
The LA City Council voted Tuesday to delay by one year an ordinance that would have blocked city license renewals for cannabis businesses owing $1 million or more in city taxes or delinquent four years or longer — thresholds set to tighten annually to under $100,000 by 2030 — after a companion tax-amnesty program, which forgives penalties and interest for businesses on payment plans of up to five years, could not launch on time. About 125 of the city's roughly 1,000 licensed businesses would have been ineligible to renew. Why it matters: License renewal eligibility in LA now stays decoupled from tax debt for another year, keeping over 100 retail accounts open that would otherwise have exited the market.
|
|
On the Radar
Dec. 11, 2026 — The federal restrictions on intoxicating hemp-derived THC products enacted in the FY2026 appropriations law take effect, removing federal hemp status for most intoxicating hemp beverages and edibles; FDA guidance on implementation details remains outstanding.
Dec. 7, 2026 — Comment deadline on TTB's information-collection notice (No. 99) covering 16 recordkeeping items, including brewers' business records, beer labeling and container marks, and the CBMA imports refund program.
DEA rescheduling — Testimony in the DEA's administrative hearing on broader marijuana rescheduling has concluded and the administrative law judge is preparing a recommendation; no decision date has been set.
|
|
Jeremy Barnes | Chief Financial Officer, New Realm Brewing Co.
Prepared for New Realm's leadership team and valued partners. This brief is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice; it is compiled with AI assistance from the linked sources — please confirm details at the link before acting on them.
Buttons not working? Reply to this email with the word subscribe or unsubscribe.
Read online & browse the archive: compliance.newrealmbrewing.com • Listen & follow: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Amazon Music • All apps
|
|
» jbarnes@newrealmbrewing.com
» newrealmbrewing.com
» Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
|
|
Audio transcript (~2 min read)
This is the New Realm Compliance Brief, Volume 1, Edition 56, for Thursday, October 8.
Our top story: state cannabis regulators say the Drug Enforcement Administration has not answered their questions about federal rescheduling. Officials from Georgia, Vermont and California said this week that they have received little or no implementation guidance since medical marijuana products regulated under state licenses moved to Schedule Three. Vermont's Cannabis Control Board chair, James Pepper, said a list of questions sent by a state regulators association received, in his words, radio silence. California regulators said drug enforcement inspections of federally registered businesses are beginning in some states.
In other federal news, the agency denied a Colorado company's application to register as a bulk marijuana manufacturer, finding that affiliated companies had manufactured marijuana for the recreational market without federal registration. The denial order was published Wednesday and takes effect November sixth.
Around the states: In Ohio, new Division of Cannabis Control rules are now in effect, capping flower at one ounce per package, vape cartridges at two grams and ninety percent THC, and adult use edibles and beverages at ten milligrams of THC per portion. In Minnesota, retailer Top Ten Liquors said it will keep stocking THC products even if the federal ban takes effect in December. In Colorado, Sierra Nevada is ending its distribution relationship with Coors Distributing Company and moving to Reyes in the Denver area. And in Los Angeles, the city council delayed by one year a rule that would have blocked license renewals for cannabis businesses with large unpaid city taxes.
On the radar: federal restrictions on intoxicating hemp products take effect December eleventh, and comments on a Tax and Trade Bureau recordkeeping notice, covering brewers' records and beer labeling, are due December seventh.
Full details and source links are in today's email. This update is for general information only — it is not legal advice.