October 24, 2026 | Developments reported October 19–24
DEA is opposing another round of testimony in the broader marijuana rescheduling proceeding. Colorado’s new audit documents weaknesses in testing oversight and the time required to issue safety advisories. Meanwhile, newly reported details clarify Vireo’s Florida property acquisition, UPS has specified new documentation requirements for raw hemp, and Spain is preparing its first hospital deliveries of standardized cannabis preparations.
1. DEA opposes reopening testimony in the broader rescheduling proceeding
DEA filed its response on October 20 to opponents seeking additional discovery and testimony over a Government Accountability Office report on federal drug-scheduling procedures.
The dispute concerns what the GAO findings establish. DEA argues that the report identifies missing written procedures, without identifying additional records that would justify reopening testimony. Opponents responded October 21 that the absence of documented standards is itself material. Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius had not ruled on reopening the hearing when those filings were reported. Marijuana Moment
The distinction between the two federal actions remains essential: the April final rule already placed FDA-approved marijuana products and marijuana products regulated under state medical licenses in Schedule III. The pending hearing concerns broader marijuana rescheduling. This week’s filings address the evidentiary record in that proceeding; they do not reverse the medical rule or decide the broader outcome. dea.gov
Sources: October 21 reporting and filings · DEA regulatory actions
2. Colorado audit identifies gaps in surveillance testing and safety advisories
Colorado released a cannabis consumer-safety audit on October 19. It documents limitations in the state’s ability to independently check products and respond to problems.
Products covered by health and safety advisories during 2023–2025 had been on the market for an average of 223 days before an advisory. That measures time on the market, rather than how long regulators knew of a problem. A separate review of 13 investigations associated with 2025 advisories found an average of approximately 105 days between investigation initiation and advisory issuance.
As of May 15, 2026, the state reference laboratory could not test for pesticides, residual solvents or mycotoxins. A retail surveillance pilot had tested edibles, but planned testing of flower, concentrates and prerolls remained incomplete because of capacity limitations.
The auditors did not find evidence establishing widespread product-safety problems. Their finding is that surveillance and response gaps limit the system’s ability to detect and address them. This is a broader assessment of regulatory controls, separate from the Craft recall covered in Monday’s edition. content.leg.colorado.gov
Sources: Full state audit · Official release information
3. Vireo’s Florida property purchase adds ownership of an existing cultivation asset
MJBizDaily reported October 21 that a buyer tied to Vireo Growth acquired Green Dragon’s approximately 415,000-square-foot cultivation property in Putnam County, Florida, for $21 million earlier this month. Green Dragon had been leasing the property. The square footage describes the property’s facility footprint, not verified flowering canopy. mjbizdaily.com
Vireo’s October 5 financing disclosure provides the transaction’s capital structure. A $60 million real-estate loan allocated $49 million to refinancing New York debt and $11 million toward the Florida acquisition. The loan carries an 8.5% annual interest rate, matures April 2, 2034, and is secured by first-priority mortgages.
Vireo also disclosed termination of the previous landlord lease and creation of a lease between its property entity and Green Dragon’s Florida affiliate. investors.vireogrowth.com
The newly reported purchase price fills in an important detail. This is ownership of an existing production property; neither the purchase price nor the financing announcement establishes additional producing capacity or quantifies operating savings.
Sources: October 21 acquisition reporting · Vireo’s October 5 financing disclosure
4. UPS specifies total-THC documentation for raw hemp shipments
A UPS policy update reported October 20 establishes a December 11, 2026 requirement for raw hemp shipments: accompanying certificates of analysis or test results must demonstrate total THC, including THCA, at or below 0.3% by dry weight. cannabisbusinesstimes.com
The scope is important. That documentation provision specifically addresses raw hemp in plant form. UPS separately addresses hemp derivatives, which must comply with applicable federal, state and local law. Its policy also requires preapproval and a shipping agreement for raw hemp shippers.
For flower businesses, a delta-9-only result does not demonstrate compliance with the stated total-THC requirement. For finished-product businesses, the raw-hemp paragraph should not be interpreted as permission to ship every derivative. UPS maintains separate restrictions, including prohibitions on aerosolized hemp derivatives and synthetic cannabinoids.
The commercial change is concrete: shipment eligibility and supporting laboratory documentation must match the carrier’s product-specific rules. UPS - United States
Sources: UPS shipping policy · October 20 reporting
5. Spain prepares initial hospital deliveries of standardized cannabis preparations
Business of Cannabis reported October 21 that Curaleaf had finalized logistics from its Medalchemy facility in Alicante for initial deliveries to approximately 50 Spanish public and private hospitals that week.
The rollout involves CAN1 and CAN2, standardized preparations registered in July. Broader national distribution is expected by the end of October, according to the report. Those are delivery plans and company expectations; they do not establish completed shipments or patient treatment volumes. businessofcannabis.com
Spain’s October 2025 royal decree explains the commercial structure. Manufacturers supply registered standardized preparations to hospital pharmacies, which prepare and dispense magistral formulations under specialist prescribing. The framework requires pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution controls.
That makes hospital pharmacy access, preparation registration and specialist prescribing central to this market’s development. A national hospital count is not a measure of contracted demand. The next evidence of market scale will come from actual purchasing, dispensing and repeat orders as implementation proceeds. boe.es
Sources: October 21 rollout reporting · Spain’s Royal Decree 903/2025
6. Missouri’s market study shows a distinct distribution pattern for beverages
An October state-commissioned Missouri cannabis study, covered by MJBizDaily on October 20, estimates that licensed stores and delivery account for approximately 93% of respondents’ cannabis spending. The underlying survey covered 1,200 adults who had used cannabis in the previous 30 days, with responses collected March 16–April 3.
The category results are more revealing than the aggregate headline. Licensed channels accounted for 93% of reported preroll units, 88% of vape units, 86% of edible units and 85% of flower units. For beverages, the figure was 55%.
Spending share and unit share are different measures, but the category comparison shows that beverages have a substantially different distribution pattern within the surveyed population.
These are consumer-reported estimates, rather than an audited accounting of all legal and illicit transactions. The report acknowledges that respondents could confuse unregulated hemp stores with licensed dispensaries. That limitation belongs alongside the headline market-share estimate, particularly when evaluating beverage distribution. health.mo.gov
Sources: Missouri’s full market study · October 20 coverage
New licenses and market openings
Minnesota: The Office of Cannabis Management’s October 19 update lists 405 issued licenses, up from 402 in its October 12 update. The current total includes 296 microbusinesses, 26 mezzobusinesses, 24 cultivators and 20 retailers. These are license counts across business types, not a count of operating storefronts. mn.gov
Source: Minnesota application and licensing data
What to watch next
DEA: Julius’s decision on admitting the GAO report and reopening testimony or discovery. The October filings leave those questions unresolved.
Spain: Confirmation of initial hospital deliveries and the anticipated broader rollout by October 31. Purchasing and dispensing figures will show how quickly access translates into demand.
Hemp shipping: December 11 implementation of UPS’s raw-hemp documentation requirement, including whether the carrier issues further instructions before that date.
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