Illinois pauses hemp THC enforcement for 250 lawsuit businesses until Nov. 19; CRS says FDA is nine months late on required hemp definitions; DEA proposes 2027 marijuana quotas with separate Schedule III limits coming.
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NEW REALM BREWING
Daily Compliance Brief
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Vol. 1 • Edition 89 • Tuesday, November 10, 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. A lighter run of items today: the past 24 hours' developments are concentrated on the hemp/THC beverage side.
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Top Story
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Illinois agrees to pause hemp THC enforcement for about 250 businesses until Nov. 19
ILLINOIS • The Marijuana Herald • Nov 9
The state agreed in federal court to hold off enforcing its new hemp-derived THC law against the roughly 250 member companies of the Illinois Healthy Alternatives Association and other plaintiffs in Illinois Healthy Alternatives Association v. Raoul (N.D. Ill., filed Nov. 5), while U.S. District Judge Martha M. Pacold prepares to hear arguments Nov. 19 on whether to block the law during the case. The law classifies consumable hemp products above 0.4 mg of total THC per container as marijuana that can be sold only at licensed dispensaries; the pause does not suspend it statewide, and the Illinois Department of Revenue confirmed enforcement against everyone else begins Nov. 12. CBS Chicago reported Glenn McElfresh of the Hemp Beverage Alliance said major retailers' shelves are already "just bone dry."
Why it matters: Illinois retailers and distributors outside the lawsuit must still pull hemp THC beverages above 0.4 mg from shelves by this Thursday, Nov. 12 — the Nov. 19 hearing decides whether relief extends any further.
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Federal
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Congressional researchers say FDA is nine months late on required hemp cannabinoid lists and "container" guidance
FEDERAL • Marijuana Moment • Nov 9
A Congressional Research Service report says FDA missed its Feb. 10 statutory deadline to publish lists of naturally occurring cannabinoids, THC-class cannabinoids, and similar-effect cannabinoids, along with guidance defining the "container" that anchors the new 0.4 mg total THC federal limit. Jim Higdon of hemp producer Cornbread Hemp said it "is difficult to comply with the law while key definitions are still in question."
Why it matters: the pending "container" definition determines which hemp beverages can remain on shelves when the federal hemp definition change takes effect Dec. 11.
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DEA proposes 2027 marijuana production quotas, with separate Schedule III limits to follow
FEDERAL • The Marijuana Herald • Nov 9
DEA's proposed 2027 aggregate production quotas, scheduled for Federal Register publication Nov. 10, keep Schedule I marijuana at 6,675 kilograms and marijuana extract at 1,000 kilograms — unchanged from 2026 — and exclude marijuana moved to Schedule III. The agency said it is registering Schedule III manufacturers and distributors and will set separate Schedule III quotas in a later notice, with the proposal open to public comment before a final order.
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Around the States
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Illinois Department of Revenue: local cannabis retail tax rates change Jan. 1
ILLINOIS • Illinois Dept. of Revenue • Nov 6
Bulletin FY 2027-06 announces municipal and county cannabis retailers' occupation tax rate changes effective Jan. 1, 2027, in jurisdictions that imposed or changed local rates by ordinance; the statewide 6.25% retailers' occupation tax and local general-merchandise taxes continue to apply on top. The full bulletin lists each affected jurisdiction and its new rate.
Why it matters: dispensary retailers in the listed jurisdictions need updated point-of-sale tax rates loaded before Jan. 1 to collect correctly.
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On the Radar
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Thursday, Nov. 12 — The federal ban on synthetic cannabinoids not naturally produced by the cannabis plant takes effect, and Illinois's 0.4 mg hemp THC law becomes enforceable against businesses not covered by the lawsuit pause.
Thursday, Nov. 19 — Judge Pacold (N.D. Ill.) hears arguments on a preliminary injunction against Illinois's hemp THC law; the agreed enforcement pause for plaintiff businesses runs through that date.
Friday, Dec. 11 — The new federal hemp definition (0.4 mg total THC per container) takes effect for most products after Congress's one-month delay, with FDA's statutorily required definitions still unpublished.
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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 One, Edition Eighty-Nine, for Tuesday, November Tenth.
Our top story: Illinois has agreed to pause enforcement of its new hemp-derived T-H-C law for roughly two hundred fifty businesses until November nineteenth. The pause covers members of the Illinois Healthy Alternatives Association and other plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit filed November fifth against Attorney General Kwame Raoul and other state officials. Judge Martha Pacold will hear arguments November nineteenth on whether to block the law while the case proceeds. The law treats consumable hemp products above four tenths of a milligram of total T-H-C per container as marijuana that can be sold only at licensed dispensaries. For businesses outside the lawsuit, enforcement still begins this Thursday, November twelfth. Glenn McElfresh of the Hemp Beverage Alliance said major retailers' shelves are already, in his words, just bone dry.
At the federal level: a Congressional Research Service report says the Food and Drug Administration is nine months past its deadline to publish the cannabinoid lists and container guidance that anchor the new federal hemp limit, which takes effect for most products December eleventh. And the Drug Enforcement Administration proposed its twenty twenty-seven marijuana production quotas, unchanged from this year, and confirmed that separate Schedule Three limits are being developed as rescheduling advances.
Around the states: the Illinois Department of Revenue announced that municipal and county cannabis retail tax rates change January first in jurisdictions that adopted new local rates. Dispensary retailers there will need updated point-of-sale rates before the new year.
On the radar: November twelfth, the federal ban on synthetic cannabinoids takes effect. November nineteenth, the Illinois injunction hearing. And December eleventh, the new federal hemp definition takes effect for most products.
Full details and source links are in today's email. This update is for general information only — it is not legal advice.