The Drug Enforcement Administration has begun issuing federal registrations to qualifying state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries, opening the first phase of a new Schedule III regulatory framework.
The initial group includes more than 900 dispensaries in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Registration is not automatic: each business must operate within a qualifying state programme, satisfy federal and treaty requirements and complete a DEA pre-registration investigation.
Registered dispensaries will be subject to federal security, recordkeeping and inventory controls. The DEA is separately reviewing applications from manufacturers and distributors, which require inspections, production controls and quota determinations.
Pending applicants that applied during the initial 60-day window may continue qualifying transactions with other eligible applicants and newly registered businesses while their applications are considered, subject to the Attorney General’s order. The framework does not authorise recreational sales, and marijuana outside its defined medical activities remains under Schedule I controls. The separate administrative proceeding on broader rescheduling is still pending.
The Justice Department set out the limits in its October 30 announcement.
