Author:

Joseph Baldwin

Compliance Spotlight: Lucas Nelson, Medpharm

Lucas Nelson is the General Manager at Medpharm. Medpharm is a vertically integrated cannabis operator based out of Des Moines, Iowa. Medpharm holds two of Iowa’s five dispensary licenses and is the only licensed cultivator. They are one of only two dispensaries currently operating in the state. Mr. Nelson holds a Juris Doctor from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from James Madison University. 

DEA Introduces New Rule on Hemp Derivatives, Extracts, and Cannabinoids

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently published an interim rule on hemp and hemp derivatives to reflect the statutory amendments to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) made by the Agriculture Improvement Act (2018 Farm Bill). This new rule modifies the DEA’s existing regulations in an attempt to conform with the 2018 Farm Bill’s purposeof legalizing and regulating the hemp industry.

DEA Proposes New Rules Aimed to Increase Federal Cannabis Research

On Monday March 24, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) proposed amending the rules under the Controlled Substance Act to expand cannabis research in accordance with a 2016 policy statement. Among these changes includes directing the DEA to take title and physical possession of cannabis plants and increasing the number of entities permitted to manufacture cannabis for research.