Details of the new application process for medical cannabis manufacturers, distributors and testing labs to register with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as Schedule III entities led Cannabis Business Times’ most-read articles in October.
The DEA’s Diversion Control Division launched the new application portal under Form 225 on Oct. 5, and industry stakeholders read about it first on CBT, including specific form questions that some may grapple with answering, such as those related to prior convictions and handling of Schedule I substances (such as adult-use cannabis).
The new registration process opened after an expedited window for state-licensed medical cannabis retailers had closed earlier this year. Medical cannabis businesses that register with the DEA will realize certain Schedule III benefits, notably the allowance of Section 280 tax deductions and recognition that their products have currently accepted medical use.
Future benefits could include access to export licenses, interstate commerce (when permitted by federal law), and compliance with potential reform related to banking, exchange listings, credit facilities, and mergers and acquisitions.
Other articles CBT readers did not want to miss this month included those on North Carolina adults supporting cannabis legalization as the state tees up 2027 reform; Massachusetts’ governor urging voters to reject a prohibitionist ballot measure at the polls during the Nov. 3 midterm elections; and a U.S. congressman unveiling his post-election plan to avert the federal hemp THC product ban.
In the No. 2 spot, SurveyUSA pollsters found that 74% of North Carolina adults support medical cannabis legalization and 63% support adult-use legalization, as the state’s Advisory Council on Cannabis nears the end of its series of policy meetings before issuing a detailed regulatory recommendation in December 2026 that state lawmakers can use as a roadmap to draft 2027 legislation for a legalized marketplace.
This month’s third-most read article covered Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey publicly opposing Question 8, a ballot measure that aims to wipe out the state’s adult-use legalization laws. “I’d vote no,” Healey said. “We’ve got to keep recreational marijuana here in Massachusetts. It’s an important industry, the cannabis industry, and I hope the voters keep cannabis.”
And the fourth most-read article in October featured U.S. House Rep. Morgan Griffith’s, R-Va., plan to attach legislation regulating intoxicating hemp products to a post-election reconciliation bill in hopes of avoiding a Dec. 11 prohibition date.
CBT readers also engaged with myriad updates to the DEA’s cannabis rescheduling hearing process, which took a new twist when the agency’s chief administrative law judge entertained an anti-rescheduling request to reopen the hearing but ultimately decided on Oct. 22 not to allow new testimony and evidence but rather permit written legal arguments on a recent Government Accountability Office report to be included in the record.
Don’t miss out on the rest of our Top 10 stories from October 2026.
