Today, the US Acting Attorney General and the DOJ announced the issuance of a final order that “immediately places” some cannabis into Schedule III of the Federal Controlled Substances Act. Here is our quick breakdown of rescheduling news: what the final order does, how DOJ says it can do it, a high-level overview of changes, and what comes next.

Once you get past the glossy presentation, the ATACH report’s deeper premise becomes clear. It is not about genuine cannabis reform. Rather, it is market protectionism of corporate marijuana and alcohol interests dressed up as public policy. 

Congress created the modern hemp market a decade ago. It reversed course and moved to dismantle most of that same market in late 2025 through a sweeping federal crackdown. A new bipartisan Senate bill proposes a different path.

A Texas court has entered a temporary restraining order blocking the State from enforcing the most consequential parts of the new DSHS hemp rules, at least for now. That is a significant win for the Texas hemp industry, but it is not a final decision, and it is not a wholesale invalidation of every part of the rules.

A new report by North Carolina’s Cannabis Council gets the big question right. Now lawmakers need to avoid the usual mistakes.

The Kight on Cannabis Interactive 50-State Hemp Product Compliance Database helps hemp businesses understand state-by-state hemp laws, reduce compliance risk, and make better product and market decisions.

Texas’ new hemp rules take effect March 31, 2026. Here is what manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers need to know about fees, testing, packaging, labeling, age checks, and enforcement.

On January 14, 2026, Gov. Phil Murphy signed S-4509, rolling back the prior hemp rules. The new law aligns New Jersey’s definitions of hemp with federal standards. Products exceeding the federal THC limits will now be classified as marijuana or cannabis starting April 13, 2026.

On January 12, 2026, House Member Jim Baird and a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill to aid the hemp industry, HR 7010, also known as the “Baird Bill”. If enacted, it will extend the time for the new anti-hemp provisions to go into place by an additional two years.