The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has contacted 25 “designated participants” to testify at a Dec. 2 hearing about marijuana rescheduling, according to documents obtained by MJBizDaily.
Before marijuana can be moved from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 of the Controlled Substances Act, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram ordered that the matter go before an administrative law judge.
The 25 participants will appear before DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge John Mulrooney II, who has served in that position since 2009, according to a letter from Milgram dated Oct. 28.
Among other instructions, the letter directs “Designated Participants who will participate” to “come prepared with January-February 2025 availability dates” for participants and counsel to appear.
Participants tapped for the Dec. 2 hearing include:
- Shane Pennington, a prominent administrative law attorney, representing Village Farms International.
- Aaron Smith, CEO of the National Cannabis Industry Association, and Michelle Rutter Friberg, the organization’s chief lobbyist.
- Dr. Chad Kollas of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
- John Jones, treasurer and director of Cannabis Biosciences International Holdings.
- Robert Head, Corey Burchman, Darinia Douchi and Victor Bohm of Hemp for Victory.
- Erin Gorman Kirk, state of Connecticut cannabis ombudsman.
- Ellen Brown, chair of the Massachusetts Cannabis Advisory Board’s research subcommittee.
- Shanetha Lewis, executive director of Veterans Initiative 22.
- Nicholas Garulay, president and CEO of The Doc App, which does business as My Florida Green, and Jason Castro, the organization’s in-house counsel.
- Katy Green, a lobbyist with Platinum Advisors, representing The Commonwealth Project.
- Ari Kirshenbaum, a professor of psychology at Saint Michael’s College.
- Jo McGuire of the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association.
- Patrick Philbin, representing Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
- Roneet Lev of the International Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis.
- David Evans Sr., counsel for Cannabis Industry Victims Educating Litigators.
- Dr. Kenneth Finn, a drug-rehabilitation specialist.
- Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board.
- Phillip Drum, a doctor of pharmacy.
- Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, whose office is currently in litigation in its bid to keep a medical marijuana legalization initiative off that state’s ballot.
- An unidentified representative of the International Association of the Chiefs of Police.
- Marshall Fisher from the Drug Enforcement Administration of Federal Narcotics Agents.
- Natalie Hartenbaum from the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
- Sue Thau of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America.
- Kim Litman of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
- National Sheriffs’ Association.
Read more
