Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.

• DEA declines to loosen restrictions on medical marijuana
  (CNN.com, 11 August 2016)

The Drug Enforcement Agency will announce Thursday that marijuana will remain a schedule 1 drug, which declares it has “no medical use or purpose,” according to a U.S. official familiar with the decision.  Note: see our post on this topic here: Are We There Yet? The Wait Between Legalization and Availability of Medical Marijuana.

• Large Bank Working With Company Aiming to Tap Florida MMJ Market
  (Marijuana Business Daily: News, 10 August 2016)

One of the biggest financial institutions in the Tampa Bay area has extended a $100,000 line of credit to a company that hopes to capitalize on Florida’s upcoming medical marijuana industry.

• Maryland medical marijuana panel makes first license decisions
  (The Cannabist: The Cannabist, 10 August 2016)

Plot twist: Two grower applicants initially placed in the top 15 were bumped to spots 16 and 17, because the top 15 did not include the geographic representation noted in the law.

And if you think Mr. Trump and Secretary Clinton are your only two options in November, think again:

• Best name ever? Aspiring Missouri politician Chief Wana Dubie sets sights on presidency
  (The Cannabist: The Cannabist, 5 August 2016)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chief Wana Dubie’s dream of representing Missouri in the U.S. Senate has gone up in smoke.