
Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana. This week, we look at the new administration’s choice for interim DEA head. Florida may have cannabis on the ballot in 2026. Leafly is off the NASDAQ. And finally, we bid farewell to Janet Yellen.
DEA ADMINISTRATOR
A new President brings a new group of department and agency heads. Anne Milgrim, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) under President Biden, has now stepped down. Running the agency on an interim basis is Derek Maltz, a former DEA official who has come out of retirement to keep the lights on until a permanent head is confirmed. As regular readers know, the DEA is currently in the midst of a cannabis rescheduling process that’s been a touch bumpy. How does Maltz feel about rescheduling? According to an interview he gave last year, he’s less than delighted, indicating that he believes this is more a political decision than one based on public safety. If Maltz will be in the role long enough to involve himself in the rescheduling situation is anyone’s guess. The administration has not officially nominated a permanent agency head.
FLORIDA
Proponents of adult-use cannabis in Florida were doubtless disappointed that Proposition 3 failed to gain 60% of the votes in last November’s election. They are undaunted, however, and are working to place a legalization measure on the state’s 2026 ballot. Smart & Safe Florida filed a new initiative with the Florida Board of Elections earlier this month. Although the measure is largely the same as the one that recently went down to defeat, it would require the state’s legislature to set up a retail market by the effective date of May 1, 2027.
LEAFLY
The cannabis industry has been going through tough times, for a variety of reasons. In the latest indication that things are tough out there, major industry player Leafly has been delisted from the NASDAQ. The company failed to meet the minimum net income standard to remain. It will continue to be traded on the OTC Pink Open Market, under the symbols LFLY and LFLYW.
AND FINALLY
Regardless of our politics, can we all agree that we’ll be sorry to see Janet Yellen leave the spotlight? She’s openly supported measures to allow banking for the cannabis industry, sure, but really, it’s her personal experiences with cannabis that have made her a favorite. We reported before that she (inadvertently) tried a dish with hallucinogenic mushrooms, and now we have her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. We wish you only good trips in future Madame Secretary!
Be well everyone – we’ll see you next week.