By Timothy S. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
- Attorney General Pam Bondi withdrew 54 proposed rules, including measures related to cannabis research and hemp lab testing.
- A White House official said the action does not affect Trump’s pending marijuana rescheduling proposal.
- Industry groups warn the withdrawals add new uncertainty for researchers and hemp producers.
The Trump administration has taken steps to cancel dozens of pending rules from the Biden era, including measures to expand cannabis research and allow broader hemp testing, according to a notice published in the Federal Register.
Attorney General Pam Bondi on Sept. 8 withdrew 54 Notices of Proposed Rulemaking and other regulatory actions, citing “ongoing assessments of agency needs, priorities and objectives.”
Among them were rules to implement the bipartisan Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, signed into law in 2022, and a proposal to let labs test Farm Bill-compliant hemp without Drug Enforcement Administration certification.
The decision adds uncertainty to federal cannabis policy. While the withdrawals included the cannabis research and hemp testing measures, a White House official told Marijuana Moment the move “should not be interpreted as a withdrawal of the rescheduling proposal but rather a withdrawal of the Analytical Labs and Hemp [notice of proposed rulemaking] as listed.”
Trump last month promised to move forward with marijuana rescheduling “within weeks,” but hearings on the proposal have been on hold since January. Industry groups and researchers now question how the Department of Justice could back away from implementing the 2022 research law, which directed the DEA to simplify applications for cannabis studies.
The hemp testing withdrawal also sparked concern. The proposal would have waived DEA registration for analytical labs conducting chemical analysis of hemp grown under USDA-approved production plans. Without the rule, testing remains limited to DEA-registered facilities.
For now, the DOJ’s action highlights the unsettled nature of U.S. cannabis regulation. While federal agencies continue enforcement efforts, stakeholders say the rollback from Biden-era initiatives makes expectations for scientific research and the hemp supply chain more complicated.
