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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
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Bipartisan House bill would give brewers an excise tax credit for donated spent grain
FEDERAL • Brewbound • Oct 23
The Brews to Barns Act, introduced in the U.S. House on Oct. 22 with bipartisan sponsors, would create a federal excise tax credit of 8 cents per pound of spent grain that a brewery donates for agricultural use, capped at $35,000 per brewery per year and limited to the brewery's excise liability. The Brewers Association, which supports the bill, estimates it could return up to $38 million annually to small and independent brewers and said it will work with the sponsors to recruit cosponsors.
Why it matters: A credit taken directly against federal excise tax would lower production costs for breweries that already donate spent grain to farms — margin relief that reaches pricing conversations with distribution and retail partners. No action is needed unless the bill advances.
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Federal
Booker presses DEA on employee-conviction rules for registering dispensaries
FEDERAL • Marijuana Moment • Oct 23
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said it is "really problematic" that DEA regulations require state-licensed medical cannabis dispensaries seeking federal registration under April's Schedule III action to remove, reassign or obtain waivers for employees with past controlled-substance felony convictions. A Mississippi dispensary CEO said the agency outlined waiver and withdrawal options but gave no timeline for waiver decisions.
Why it matters: Businesses pursuing DEA registration face staffing and HR compliance decisions — and possible application delays — with no published waiver-processing timeline.
Around the States
New Jersey hemp-drink extension is one Assembly vote from passage
NEW JERSEY • Marijuana Moment • Oct 26
The bills (S4635/A5604) that would move New Jersey's hemp-beverage sales deadline from Nov. 13 to Dec. 11 — or the date federal hemp restrictions take effect, whichever is later — have now cleared the Senate 37-0 and advanced through the Assembly's committees, including Appropriations. A full Assembly vote is the final legislative step before the bill can reach Gov. Sherrill's desk.
Why it matters: New Jersey accounts can keep selling compliant hemp beverages past Nov. 13 only if the Assembly passes the extension and it is signed before that date.
Missouri study recommends no new marijuana licenses; ownership reporting proposed
MISSOURI • Marijuana Moment • Oct 24
A study released by Missouri's Division of Cannabis Regulation concluded the licensed market is meeting demand — about 93% of purchases happen at licensed dispensaries, and 2025 dispensary sales reached roughly $1.51 billion across 220 active retail licenses — and recommended no new cultivation, manufacturing or dispensary licenses. License structure: the state constitution sets a floor of 24 dispensary licenses per congressional district; as of July, 222 dispensary, 63 manufacturing and 85 cultivation licenses were approved, with 144 microbusiness licenses expected in total. No fee changes were proposed, but draft rules would require licensees to report ownership percentages annually after the study said it lacked data to assess ownership concentration.
Why it matters: A steady license cap means no near-term wave of new retail competition in Missouri, while annual ownership reporting would add a compliance filing for every license holder.
Rhode Island extends cannabis delivery hours to 7 a.m.–11 p.m.
RHODE ISLAND • WJAR NBC 10 • Oct 23
The Cannabis Control Commission voted 2-1 on Oct. 23 to extend licensed delivery hours to 7 a.m.–11 p.m. after petitions from licensees. Commissioner Robert Jacquard opposed the change, citing concerns about late-night delivery safety.
Colorado issues product-safety bulletin over solvent found in marijuana products
COLORADO • Marijuana Moment • Oct 26
State regulators issued a health-and-safety bulletin after marijuana products were found to contain methyl ethyl ketone, an industrial solvent. Retailers carrying affected batches should watch for recall and quarantine notices from the Marijuana Enforcement Division.
On the Radar
Nov. 13 — New Jersey's hemp-beverage sales deadline under current law; the extension to Dec. 11 still needs a final Assembly vote and the governor's signature before that date.
Dec. 11 — Federal hemp restrictions take effect under the September continuing resolution, and UPS has said it will require THC testing documentation for hemp shipments from that date. A Journal of Wine Economics analysis published this month estimates the beverage portion of the ban would reduce consumer welfare by $112–146 million annually.
DEA rescheduling — Final briefs are being submitted in the administrative hearing on moving marijuana to Schedule III, ahead of a recommended decision from the DEA's administrative law judge; no decision date has been set.
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