Alcohol lobbyists urged state AGs to keep the federal hemp ban timetable; cannabis businesses await IRS guidance on 280E deductions; DEA posts a daily-updated list of nearly 7,000 rescheduling applicants.
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NEW REALM BREWING
Daily Compliance Brief
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Vol. 1 • Edition 80 • Sunday, November 1, 2026 • Alcohol & Hemp/THC Regulation • Federal + All 50 States
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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.
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Top Story
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Report: Alcohol company lobbyists urged state attorneys general to back federal hemp THC limits
FEDERAL • Marijuana Moment • Oct 30
Politico reported that lobbyists for Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors and Diageo encouraged state attorneys general to sign an August letter — ultimately joined by 35 state and territory AGs — asking Congress to reject any effort to delay, repeal or weaken the federal hemp THC limits scheduled to take effect December 11. On the other side, Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) said he wants his hemp regulatory bill added to a reconciliation package before that date, the National Restaurant Association asked Congress to delay the beverage provisions, and President Trump has called on Congress to protect access to full-spectrum CBD products.
Why it matters: With industry groups split and no alternative bill advancing, the Dec. 11 federal limit of 0.4 mg total THC per container remains on track — retailers and distributors carrying hemp THC beverages should plan inventory, reorders and sell-through around that date.
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Federal
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Cannabis businesses await IRS guidance on deductions after rescheduling
FEDERAL • Marijuana Moment / Missouri Independent • Oct 31
April's order moving state-licensed medical marijuana to Schedule III was expected to lift Section 280E's bar on ordinary business deductions for medical sales, but Treasury and the IRS have yet to issue guidance and listed it among more than 100 priorities for the fiscal year running through September 2027. Businesses holding combined medical and recreational licenses say they have no rule for allocating shared costs between the two channels.
Why it matters: Advisers quoted in the story suggest affected companies document cost-allocation methods now and set estimated payments they can support — the last 2026 estimated payment for C corporations is due December 15.
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DEA posts daily-updated list of nearly 7,000 rescheduling applicants
FEDERAL • Marijuana Moment • Oct 30
The DEA published a webpage listing 6,983 state-licensed medical marijuana businesses that applied on time for federal registration — 4,197 dispensaries, 710 distributors and 2,076 manufacturers across at least 43 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Timely applicants qualify for expedited review and may operate under their state licenses while applications are pending; the agency says the list will be updated daily. Manufacturers, distributors and labs now file on a new Form 225.
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Around the States
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Massachusetts votes Tuesday on Question 8, which would end recreational marijuana sales
MASSACHUSETTS • Marijuana Moment / CommonWealth Beacon • Oct 29
Spending on Question 8, a ballot measure that would eliminate the state's recreational marijuana industry, has reached nearly $6.5 million — more than $3.7 million from supporters of the repeal, led by SAM Action Inc., and more than $2.8 million from opponents.
Why it matters: A yes vote would close one of the country's larger adult-use retail markets — partners with Massachusetts exposure should watch Tuesday's result for shelf-mix and traffic effects.
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Alabama medical cannabis dispensaries to reach five statewide this week
ALABAMA • Marijuana Moment / Alabama Reflector • Oct 31
State officials said dispensaries in Bessemer and Birmingham are set to open this week, bringing Alabama's total to five. The commission reported roughly $120,000–$140,000 in monthly sales across the first three locations; further licenses, including five integrated-facility licenses that would expand the count to 37, remain tied up in litigation before the Court of Civil Appeals.
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On the Radar
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Nov. 12 — Federal recriminalization of synthetic cannabinoids not naturally produced by the cannabis plant takes effect; the same day, Illinois's hemp overhaul moves THC beverages out of liquor stores and other unlicensed retail.
Nov. 29 — DEA deadline for federally registered dispensaries to source products only from federally registered suppliers, per agency guidance issued last week.
Dec. 11 — The federal limit of 0.4 mg total THC per container takes effect for most consumable hemp products. In Georgia, reporting puts the exposure at about 4,100 licensed consumable-hemp businesses and $600 million to $1 billion in annual retail sales.
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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.
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Audio transcript (~2 min read)
This is the New Realm Compliance Brief, Volume 1, Edition 80, for Sunday, November 1.
Our top story: Politico reported that lobbyists for Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors, and Diageo encouraged state attorneys general to sign an August letter asking Congress not to delay, repeal, or weaken the federal hemp THC limits scheduled to take effect December eleventh. Thirty-five state and territory attorneys general signed the letter. On the other side of the debate, Representative Morgan Griffith of Virginia said he wants his hemp regulatory bill added to a reconciliation package before that date, and the National Restaurant Association asked Congress to delay the beverage provisions.
In federal news, cannabis businesses are still waiting on tax guidance after April's rescheduling order. The order was expected to lift the section two eighty E bar on ordinary business deductions for medical sales, but the Treasury Department and the I R S listed that guidance among more than one hundred priorities stretching through September of twenty twenty-seven. Advisers quoted in the reporting suggest companies document their cost allocation methods now, ahead of the December fifteenth estimated payment date for C corporations.
Also federal: the D E A posted a daily updated list of nearly seven thousand state-licensed marijuana businesses that applied on time for federal registration, including about forty-two hundred dispensaries, seven hundred distributors, and two thousand manufacturers. Timely applicants may keep operating under their state licenses while reviews are pending.
Around the states: Massachusetts votes Tuesday on Question Eight, which would end the state's recreational marijuana industry. Spending on the measure has reached nearly six and a half million dollars. And in Alabama, officials said two more medical cannabis dispensaries open this week, bringing the statewide total to five.
On the radar: November twelfth, the federal recriminalization of synthetic cannabinoids takes effect. November twenty-ninth is the D E A's supplier sourcing deadline. And December eleventh brings the federal hemp THC limit of four tenths of a milligram per container.
Full details and source links are in today's email. This update is for general information only — it is not legal advice.