🌿 DEA puts rescheduling on hold, Rove enters Canadian market, and BLAZE launches AI connector

Happy Friday Pre Rollers! Welcome to another edition of The Pre Roll, the cannabis newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the industry happenings you need to know.

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Put on hold. The DEA’s cannabis rescheduling proceeding is now on hold as Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek C. Julius issued an order to stay the case this week after three participants asked to add a newly issued Government Accountability Office (GAO) report to the record and allow supplemental briefing. The underlying proceeding concerns the proposed transfer of cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act.

The GAO report, published last week, examined DEA and HHS drug scheduling procedures and concluded that both agencies need more comprehensive policies, while noting that DEA decisions had aligned with recent HHS recommendations. The participants seeking the stay argue that the report could be relevant to the rescheduling proceeding; Judge Julius has not yet ruled on whether the report will be admitted or whether additional briefing will be permitted.

For the cannabis industry, the immediate takeaway is a delay, not a rejection of rescheduling. The government must respond to the motion by October 13, and other interested parties may also respond by that date. Until the motion is resolved, the judge’s recommended decision and certification of the record remain on hold, adding another procedural step before DEA can move toward a final determination on broader cannabis rescheduling. The waiting game continues.

Oh Canada. Rove, the California-based cannabis vape brand, has entered the Canadian market with a launch in Ontario, marking its first expansion outside the United States. Products are now available to Ontario retailers through the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS).

Founded in California in 2016, Rove reports more than $100 million in annual revenue and sells through more than 3,000 dispensaries across 16 U.S. states. The company plans to expand into additional Canadian provinces in the coming months as it continues its international rollout.

Blaze a trail. Cannabis retail technology platform BLAZE has launched BLAZE MCP, a comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets cannabis retailers use Claude, ChatGPT, and other AI assistants to manage 250+ operations across POS, eCommerce, and marketing.

More than 140 of those functions can make operational changes, rather than simply retrieve information. Examples include bulk product edits, loyalty and VIP pricing, purchase order receiving, batch reconciliation, delivery zone changes, and troubleshooting online menus and orders. Retailers can combine these capabilities into workflows, such as identifying slow moving products, adjusting pricing, creating a promotion, updating storefronts and displays, and launching a marketing campaign from a single conversation.

The system includes safeguards such as human approval before changes take effect, user permissions tied to roles, step-by-step confirmation for multi-action workflows, and a full audit trail. The company also says customer data is not used to train its AI models.

Colorado: Regulators warned consumers not to use cannabis vapes sold at 405 dispensaries because they were contaminated and can have potential health risks.

Michigan: The Cannabis Regulatory Agency revoked 20 licenses from a medical cannabis grower and fined the company $2 million after finding that it mislabeled dirt, mulch, and other plant waste as cannabis and committed numerous tracking, security, and regulatory violations.

New Hampshire: A September 2026 University of New Hampshire poll found U.S. Senator Ed Markey and Governor Maura Healey, both Democrats, leading their Republican challengers, while Massachusetts voters opposed a ballot question banning recreational cannabis.

Ohio: Hemp businesses in the state say Senate Bill 56 unfairly targets intoxicating hemp products while allowing state licensed cannabis dispensaries to sell higher-THC products, a claim the state disputes by saying voters legalized marijuana—not intoxicating hemp—in 2023.

Trulieve earns exclusive licensing deal

The Florida-based multi-state operator has secured perpetual, royalty-free exclusive licensing rights to cultivate and sell Connected and Alien Labs cannabis products in Florida and Texas, with potential expansion into additional markets.

Safe Harbor executes reverse stock split

The cannabis fintech announced a 1-for-12 reverse stock split, effective September 30, 2026, with every 12 existing shares converted into one share while retaining the SHFS ticker.

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Stay tuned for more cannabis industry news next week!

💚,

The Pre Roll Team

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