Featured Analysis
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Sioux Falls City Council Member Says “Jason Karimi Is Smartest Person In Room” After This Speech On Federal Exemptions
This speech led a city council member to point out I was the most informed on marijuana laws in the city of Sioux Falls a few years ago. Enjoy. From 2021 in Sioux Falls: See also: Complex issues like this are best resourced for now at WeedPress. Thank you for your attention to these matters.…
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WeedPress Proved Harvard Law Review Wrong: The Controlled Substances Act Is an Architecture of Exemptions — and History Just Proved It
For nearly two decades WeedPress has argued that the Controlled Substances Act is not a rigid prohibition statute but an architecture of exemptions — a flexible regulatory framework deliberately designed to allow medical, research, and other carve-outs while maintaining federal control.¹ A recent Harvard Law Review article largely missed this central feature of the statute.²…
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The Policy Vacuum: What Happens When Leadership Steps Back During Federal Cannabis Rescheduling
South Dakota’s medical cannabis program is entering its most consequential phase just as federal partial rescheduling from Schedule I to Schedule III takes effect.¹ Yet at this critical moment, the state lacks clear, consistent public guidance on DEA registration deadlines, conformity triggers, testing requirements, and market consolidation risks.² The federal change creates both opportunity and…
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Nebraska RFRA Religious Liberty Case Advances: Supplemental Authority Filed Citing Federal Schedule III Rescheduling
Defendant Jason Karimi has filed a Notice of Supplemental Authority in Nebraska District Court while his motion to modify probation conditions under the Nebraska First Freedom Act remains under advisement. The filing notifies the Court of the recent federal Schedule III rescheduling action and Defendant’s participation in the ongoing DEA administrative proceeding (Docket No. DEA-1362)…
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605 Cannabis COO Signals Exit from Public Figure Role Amid Federal Rescheduling Reckoning – As Seventh TPO Court Ruling Ends In Denial
South Dakota’s pioneering cannabis advocate and licensed operator is executing a quiet but unmistakable withdrawal from the public and political arena she once dominated — just as the federal partial rescheduling she helped make possible delivers its toughest tests to small operators.¹ Melissa Mentele, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of 605 Cannabis LLC (and longtime…
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The Refs May Be Wearing Green — Why the Cannabis Rescheduling Hearing Looks More Favorable Than It Has in Years
The June marijuana rescheduling hearing is not a guaranteed win for reform. But it is hard to deny that the current process looks more favorable to rescheduling than the federal government has looked in years. The reason is not secrecy or corruption. It is that the same administration that already moved FDA-approved marijuana products and…
Policy
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No, South Dakota’s Medical Cannabis Rules Do Not Satisfy Federal Schedule III Requirements — Operators Will Need to Make Real Adjustments
New analysis shows that South Dakota’s current licensing rules do not fully satisfy the new federal Schedule III requirements. DEA registration, security upgrades, and disclosure obligations represent real adjustments that many operators will need to make. Blanket claims that “everyone will be fine with little change” overlook these gaps. Some voices in South Dakota are…
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ILLEGAL: Homegrown Cannabis Remains Outside Federal Schedule III Protections — An Open Question With Real Consequences for Patients
The April 28, 2026 federal partial rescheduling order moved only two narrow categories of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III: certain FDA-approved products and marijuana produced under qualifying state-issued medical marijuana licenses.¹ Personal home cultivation was not included in either category. This creates a significant gap. In states that permit limited home growing for…
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Travis Ismay Responds to My Congratulatory Email: A Small Step Toward Civil Discourse in South Dakota Politics
Yesterday, Rep. Travis Ismay (R-House District 28B) replied to the congratulatory email I sent him shortly after his decisive Republican primary victory on June 2.¹ For context, here is the full exchange: My email (June 2, 2026): For context, here is the full exchange: It’s a brief, gracious response — and one I appreciate. Background…
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My Congratulatory Email to Rep. Travis Ismay After His Primary Win
Last night, Rep. Travis Ismay (R-House District 28B) defeated challenger Larry Schmaltz in the Republican primary, securing approximately 59% of the vote to Schmaltz’s 41%. I’ve had strong disagreements with Rep. Ismay — particularly over his sponsorship of legislation aimed at repealing South Dakota’s medical marijuana program. Those disagreements led to some heated emails in…
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Medical Marijuana State Protections: The Full 12-Year History of the Appropriations Rider and Iowa’s Delegation Voting Record
Every year since 2014, Congress has included a critical appropriations rider — commonly known as the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment (and its successors) — that prohibits the Department of Justice from using federal funds to interfere with states that have legalized medical marijuana. This bipartisan protection has been renewed in every major appropriations bill, ensuring that state…
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The Rural Access Question South Dakota’s New Pharmacy Rules Raise for Medical Cannabis
As regulators embrace telepharmacy and remote prescription pickup, policymakers may eventually face similar questions about medical cannabis access in rural communities. South Dakota’s Board of Pharmacy is advancing updated rules under Article 20:51 of the Administrative Rules of South Dakota (ARSD) that formalize the use of remote drop sites for prescription medications and introduce a…
Law
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From Gap to Solution: A Step-by-Step Implementation Framework for a User-Level Medical Cannabis Exemption in South Dakota
The April 28, 2026 federal partial rescheduling order created a clear compliance burden for licensed operators while leaving patients who grow or use cannabis outside the commercial system in a federal gray area.¹ Reassuring public statements that “you’ll be fine” or that “state law is already strict enough” do not close that gap for home…
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Patient Legal Risks Solved: A User-Level Exemption Model for Schedule III
The April 28, 2026 federal partial rescheduling order left a significant gap: personal home cultivation was not included in the narrow categories moved to Schedule III. Colorado attorneys Brian Vicente and Rachel Gillette have been direct about the practical consequences. Vicente noted that home grows do not qualify for the new federal registration pathway because…
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No, South Dakota’s Medical Cannabis Rules Do Not Satisfy Federal Schedule III Requirements — Operators Will Need to Make Real Adjustments
New analysis shows that South Dakota’s current licensing rules do not fully satisfy the new federal Schedule III requirements. DEA registration, security upgrades, and disclosure obligations represent real adjustments that many operators will need to make. Blanket claims that “everyone will be fine with little change” overlook these gaps. Some voices in South Dakota are…
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The Real Cost of Schedule III: What Small South Dakota Operators Are Actually Facing Right Now
For small operators trying to understand what federal changes actually mean: This piece breaks down the compliance costs and risks that are often glossed over. Knowledge is power — especially when the stakes are this high. South Dakota small cannabis operators are being told to relax. Federal rescheduling is here, the story goes, and everything…
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ILLEGAL: Homegrown Cannabis Remains Outside Federal Schedule III Protections — An Open Question With Real Consequences for Patients
The April 28, 2026 federal partial rescheduling order moved only two narrow categories of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III: certain FDA-approved products and marijuana produced under qualifying state-issued medical marijuana licenses.¹ Personal home cultivation was not included in either category. This creates a significant gap. In states that permit limited home growing for…
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Tribal Operators Face Extra Risks Under Federal Rescheduling — And They Should Not Trust Reassuring Advice from People with Skin in the Game
Tribal operators face additional risks that many industry voices aren’t addressing. Independent analysis matters. Tribal and Indigenous cannabis operators are in a uniquely vulnerable position under the new federal Schedule III framework. They face all the same compliance burdens as other small operators — plus additional layers of jurisdictional complexity, disclosure risk, and uncertainty around…
Science
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Reflections on a Bruised Nail: What My Left Middle Finger Injury Taught Me About Inner Worth and Boundaries
Two months ago, I slammed my left middle finger, resulting in a subungual hematoma—the dark pool of blood trapped beneath the nail that turned my fingertip into a visual reminder of sudden impact.¹ No longer painful, the nail still carries a mottled shadow of black and white as new growth slowly pushes the old damage…
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Predators Don’t Debate — They Rig the Game: How Black-Market-Friendly State Cannabis Programs Created the Perfect Environment for Predators — and Why Federal Legitimacy Is Ending It
The drug laws were rigged for decades. Prohibition didn’t eliminate the black market — it protected it. Cartels and underground operators thrived while legitimate patients and small businesses were crushed. When states began legalization without federal exemption, they didn’t fix the problem. They simply moved the rigged game indoors and gave it a state license.…
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I Spent 17 Years Arguing for Federal Cannabis Legitimacy. Now Small Operators Are About to Learn What That Means.
I have spent most of my adult life arguing that state medical cannabis programs could not survive forever as legally tolerated gray markets.¹ They needed federal recognition. They needed treaty analysis. They needed administrative pathways. They needed constitutional pressure. They needed people willing to say the uncomfortable thing before the institutions were ready to admit…
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Stork Just Sent a Researcher to WeedPress: What Academic Tools Mean for Cannabis Policy Analysis
Independent statutory deep-dives are showing up alongside peer-reviewed literature in researchers’ workflows. It’s not every day your analytics dashboard lights up with a referrer you’ve never seen before. Today, May 5, 2026, WeedPress received a visit from paper-box.co — the domain tied to Stork (storkapp.me), a specialized publication-tracking and research intelligence platform used by academics,…
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The Post-Announcement Phase of Cannabis Rescheduling: What the June DEA Hearing Means, What States May Have to Change, and What to Watch Next
The most important cannabis-law story in the country is no longer the announcement that part of the marijuana market has been moved into Schedule III. It is the implementation phase that follows. In April 2026, the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration took the unusual step of immediately placing state-licensed medical marijuana and…
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Why South Dakota’s Own Statutes Now Make Schedule I Marijuana Unlawful to Maintain
“Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is placing both FDA-approved drug products containing marijuana, and medicinal marijuana products subject to a qualifying state-issued license in Schedule III under his authority to reschedule drugs to carry out the United States’ obligations under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.”¹ South Dakota, however, is not automatically bound by that…
Current Events
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Iowa Patients for Medical Marijuana Recommendations To Des Moines Marijuana Enforcement Task Force September 18 2020
The following is the final version. Original formatting: Iowa Patients for Medical Marijuana Recommendations Des Moines Marijuana Enforcement Task Force September 18, 2020 Written by Jason Karimi Co-Founder, Executive Director, Iowa Patients for Medical Marijuana First of all, I would like to deeply and personally thank everyone involved in bringing this task force about, and…
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UC Berkeley launches new center for psychedelic science and education
From UC Berkeley News: With $1.25 million in seed funding from an anonymous donor, the new UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics will conduct research using psychedelics to investigate cognition, perception and emotion and their biological bases in the human brain.The center is also developing a program for educating the public about this…
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BLM Rioters In Charlotte Shout ‘F*** You, Jesus!’
BLM Rioters In Charlotte Shout ‘F*** You, Jesus!’ Consider this video yet another nail in the coffin that is “Black Lies Matter”
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Just Outside Rochester Minnesota Is A Huge CBD Hemp Field
I gotta stop there sometime and take some pictures. What looks like a few acres of cannabis plants are growing and blowing in the wind, with CBD signs posted along the fence that are tall and easily seen. The field of green is about 30 yards from the highway.
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September 10, 2020: Letter from the Chair of the Des Moines Marijuana Enforcement Task Force
September 10, 2020 Jason Karimi Iowa Patients for Medical Marijuana 7688 NW 86th Avenue Johnston, IA 50131 Playsoccer711@gmail.com RE: Des Moines City Council Marijuana Task Force Dear Mr. Karimi: On September 16, 2020, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. the Des Moines City Council Marijuana Task Force will hold a Zoom meeting to receive public…
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Couldn’t Sleep, Came Up With This Draft For Des Moines City Council Speech On Monday
Decriminalize Des Moines City Council Speech Draft My Grandpa taught at Grand View University for 30 years after serving in World War II. An alcoholic who drank a six pack a day and smoked two packs a day, he died. I never met him, and never knew what he thought about marijuana. Along with the…
Legislation
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What to Do While Being Attacked: Lessons from Nehemiah¹
In the high-stakes work of policy reform—particularly when advancing federal exemptions and compliance with evolving federal cannabis law—opposition is not just likely; it is guaranteed. Those who helped draft restrictive state laws often frame federal exemptions (and related religious or patient protections) as a “conspiracy of Big Pharma to take over the industry,” weaponizing fear…
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Patient Legal Risks Solved: A User-Level Exemption Model for Schedule III
The April 28, 2026 federal partial rescheduling order left a significant gap: personal home cultivation was not included in the narrow categories moved to Schedule III. Colorado attorneys Brian Vicente and Rachel Gillette have been direct about the practical consequences. Vicente noted that home grows do not qualify for the new federal registration pathway because…
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Travis Ismay Responds to My Congratulatory Email: A Small Step Toward Civil Discourse in South Dakota Politics
Yesterday, Rep. Travis Ismay (R-House District 28B) replied to the congratulatory email I sent him shortly after his decisive Republican primary victory on June 2.¹ For context, here is the full exchange: My email (June 2, 2026): For context, here is the full exchange: It’s a brief, gracious response — and one I appreciate. Background…
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The Rural Access Question South Dakota’s New Pharmacy Rules Raise for Medical Cannabis
As regulators embrace telepharmacy and remote prescription pickup, policymakers may eventually face similar questions about medical cannabis access in rural communities. South Dakota’s Board of Pharmacy is advancing updated rules under Article 20:51 of the Administrative Rules of South Dakota (ARSD) that formalize the use of remote drop sites for prescription medications and introduce a…
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I Spent 17 Years Arguing for Federal Cannabis Legitimacy. Now Small Operators Are About to Learn What That Means.
I have spent most of my adult life arguing that state medical cannabis programs could not survive forever as legally tolerated gray markets.¹ They needed federal recognition. They needed treaty analysis. They needed administrative pathways. They needed constitutional pressure. They needed people willing to say the uncomfortable thing before the institutions were ready to admit…
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Stork Just Sent a Researcher to WeedPress: What Academic Tools Mean for Cannabis Policy Analysis
Independent statutory deep-dives are showing up alongside peer-reviewed literature in researchers’ workflows. It’s not every day your analytics dashboard lights up with a referrer you’ve never seen before. Today, May 5, 2026, WeedPress received a visit from paper-box.co — the domain tied to Stork (storkapp.me), a specialized publication-tracking and research intelligence platform used by academics,…
RFRA Updates
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What to Do While Being Attacked: Lessons from Nehemiah¹
In the high-stakes work of policy reform—particularly when advancing federal exemptions and compliance with evolving federal cannabis law—opposition is not just likely; it is guaranteed. Those who helped draft restrictive state laws often frame federal exemptions (and related religious or patient protections) as a “conspiracy of Big Pharma to take over the industry,” weaponizing fear…
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Ruling on petitioners second motion for summary judgment may 28 2026
Just gonna leave this here for the case law explanations.
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Nebraska RFRA Religious Liberty Case Advances: Supplemental Authority Filed Citing Federal Schedule III Rescheduling
Defendant Jason Karimi has filed a Notice of Supplemental Authority in Nebraska District Court while his motion to modify probation conditions under the Nebraska First Freedom Act remains under advisement. The filing notifies the Court of the recent federal Schedule III rescheduling action and Defendant’s participation in the ongoing DEA administrative proceeding (Docket No. DEA-1362)…
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I Have Filed Notice to Participate in the DEA’s June 29 Rescheduling Hearing
Today I formally submitted my Notice of Intention to Participate in the DEA administrative hearing on the proposed rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III (Docket No. DEA-1362), scheduled to begin June 29, 2026. This filing continues my 17-year record of cannabis policy advocacy and public commentary. It focuses on the interaction between…
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Connecticut’s HB 5044 Is Not Just a Vaccine Bill. It Is a Legislative Rewrite of RFRA Mid-Litigation.
April 24, 2026 Connecticut’s HB 5044 is being sold as a vaccine-governance bill. In one sense, that is true: the bill deals broadly with immunization standards, the Department of Public Health’s authority, insurance coverage, and related vaccine-administration issues.¹ But buried inside that larger package is the provision that matters most for religious-liberty law: HB 5044…
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West Virginia and Mississippi Tried to Move Marijuana to Schedule III. Both Bills Reveal the Same Structural Problem.
April 24, 2026 West Virginia and Mississippi each opened the 2026 session with a bill that would have done something their existing marijuana laws still refuse to do: move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under state law.¹ ² Both proposals were straightforward on paper. West Virginia’s SB 809 would amend W. Va. Code…
Upcoming Events
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The June 27 DEA Registration Deadline Is Coming Fast: South Dakota Operators Face a Compliance Cliff as the Safe Harbor Window Closes
With the June 27 DEA registration deadline approaching, the following analysis examines the practical timeline and compliance pressures facing South Dakota operators. South Dakota’s licensed medical cannabis operators now have roughly 29 days to secure critical federal protections before the expedited DEA registration window closes. On April 28, 2026, the Department of Justice and Drug…
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Advance Notice to South Dakota Department of Health: Petition for Scheduling Review Will Follow Federal Rescheduling Hearings
South Dakota’s medical cannabis program stands at a critical juncture following the federal partial rescheduling of certain marijuana products to Schedule III.¹ After the DEA’s June 29, 2026 rescheduling hearing concludes, the undersigned will formally petition the South Dakota Department of Health (DOH) to review and align the state’s Schedule I classification of marijuana with…
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I Have Filed Notice to Participate in the DEA’s June 29 Rescheduling Hearing
Today I formally submitted my Notice of Intention to Participate in the DEA administrative hearing on the proposed rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III (Docket No. DEA-1362), scheduled to begin June 29, 2026. This filing continues my 17-year record of cannabis policy advocacy and public commentary. It focuses on the interaction between…
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I Spent 17 Years Arguing for Federal Cannabis Legitimacy. Now Small Operators Are About to Learn What That Means.
I have spent most of my adult life arguing that state medical cannabis programs could not survive forever as legally tolerated gray markets.¹ They needed federal recognition. They needed treaty analysis. They needed administrative pathways. They needed constitutional pressure. They needed people willing to say the uncomfortable thing before the institutions were ready to admit…
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Why South Dakota’s Own Statutes Now Make Schedule I Marijuana Unlawful to Maintain
“Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is placing both FDA-approved drug products containing marijuana, and medicinal marijuana products subject to a qualifying state-issued license in Schedule III under his authority to reschedule drugs to carry out the United States’ obligations under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.”¹ South Dakota, however, is not automatically bound by that…
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South Dakota’s Schedule I Marijuana Prohibition Heads to Court This Summer: Lawsuit Will Seek Declaration That State Law No Longer Satisfies Its Own Criteria
This summer I intend to file a civil action against the State of South Dakota seeking a judicial declaration that the state’s Schedule I classification of marijuana no longer satisfies the statutory criteria required for Schedule I placement under South Dakota law.¹ The claim is straightforward: once the factual predicate of “no accepted medical use”…
For The Record (2026), By Jason Karimi
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Reflections on a Bruised Nail: What My Left Middle Finger Injury Taught Me About Inner Worth and Boundaries
Two months ago, I slammed my left middle finger, resulting in a subungual hematoma—the dark pool of blood trapped beneath the nail that turned my fingertip into a visual reminder of sudden impact.¹ No longer painful, the nail still carries a mottled shadow of black and white as new growth slowly pushes the old damage…
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I Have Filed Notice to Participate in the DEA’s June 29 Rescheduling Hearing
Today I formally submitted my Notice of Intention to Participate in the DEA administrative hearing on the proposed rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III (Docket No. DEA-1362), scheduled to begin June 29, 2026. This filing continues my 17-year record of cannabis policy advocacy and public commentary. It focuses on the interaction between…
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DARE Poster Kid to Marijuana Regulation Advocate: My Unchanging Fight to Protect Kids
When I was in elementary school, the DARE program left a lasting impression. Officers visited regularly, warning us about the dangers of drugs and pushing the “just say no” message. I took it seriously. So when the school announced an anti-drug poster contest open to elementary students, I threw myself into creating something impactful. My…
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Chapter 9: The Record vs. the Narrative
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 10: What Remains
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 8: What the Media Gets Wrong
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 7: Why I Never Left
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 6: Staying Power
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 5: The Apprenticeship
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 4: Learning the Language of Power
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 3: Becoming a Problem
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
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Chapter 2: Before the File Was Opened
Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1 — The First ArrestEarly rupture, authority, and the beginning of resistance Chapter 2 — Before the File Was Opened Gifted education, faith, discipline, and early legitimacy Chapter 3 — Becoming a ProblemWork, exhaustion, collapse, and the cost of visibility Chapter 4 — Learning the Language of PowerCourts, probation, jail, campaigns, and proximity to decision-makers…
Commentary
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Why Success Is So Rare: Zig Ziglar’s Five Gates You Must Pass
They stab you in the backAnd they claim that you are not lookingBut Jah have them in the regionIn the valley of decision Go down back-biter, (down back-bite)Go down back-biter, (down back-bite) Now you get what you wantDo you want more? (want more)Now you get what you wantDo you want more? (want more?) – Bob…
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Haile Selassie and the Highest Art of Power: Winning Without Drawing the Sword
History remembers emperors for their conquests. Haile Selassie I is remembered for something rarer — for proving that the highest art of politics is not domination by force, but mastery of legitimacy, symbolism, patience, and law. His reign stands as one of the clearest demonstrations in modern history that enduring power does not come from…
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Why Choosing Your Enemies Wisely Is Crucial in Politics
Politics is as much about strategy as it is about ideas. Whether you’re running for office, advocating for a cause, or steering public policy, the opponents you pick — and how you engage them — can make or break your efforts. This lesson is captured succinctly in The Laws of the Public Policy Process: “Choose…
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Tribute To Ras Jamison Arend, Lion.
Jamison Arend Jamison Arend was my best friend, with a great view of life. We’ve taken the dogs to the river park in St.Paul. When I was lead lobbyist for medical cannabis in 2014, and getting screwed by a rigged legislature and a terrible medical bill and program, I made weekly pilgrimages to Jamison’s house…
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All My Law Classmates Hate Being Lawyers
Lawyer note: This article is a personal reflection on my own experiences and beliefs, not a factual survey of anyone else. In two years of being the best student in 30 years at paralegal school (the programs assistant heads words, and unsolicited meritorious praise, were not mine) I learned that my next step, law school,…
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Overdose Deaths Are Plummeting (Thank God)
Joe Rogan just said the quiet part out loud about Trump’s war on drugs and it completely shatters the media’s narrative. Overdose deaths are COLLAPSING nationwide and Rogan says it’s not an accident. “They’re blowing up these f*cking boats that are bringing in all the drugs!” ROGAN: “From the time Trump’s been in office, deaths…
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Rumi: Prison For Drunks
All day I think about it, then at night I say it. Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing? I have no idea. My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that, and I intend to end up there. This drunkenness began in some other tavern. When I get…
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2026 Surya Year: No Time To Mess Around
Namaste 🙏, There are certain years that quietly pass by… and then there are years that reshape destiny. As we approach 2026, the universe prepares for one such profound shift. In our latest Rudralife Podcast, we explore why 2026 will feel different for everyone, a year governed by Surya, the Sun, the eternal source of life, authority, vitality, and truth. 🌞 The…
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Cannabis Movement Ending Era Of Personalities
The cannabis world is structurally changing. It’s moving away from informal, personality-driven, relationship-based influence and toward: 1. compliance-heavy operations 2. institutional capital 3. audited finances 4. federal-facing regulatory posture 5. documentation, transparency, and risk controls That shift favors people and organizations that are: 1. procedurally clean 2. boring in a good way 3. compliance-literate 4.…
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Humans Abusing Sacred Psychedelics; Plant Teachers Aren’t Happy; Warning To Humanity
In 2026, the year of the Fire Horse (double fire incoming as horse is fire itself), psychedelics are going to correct/withdraw guidance from the humans for not respecting them. I wondered when, not if, this process of spirit realm correction would come about. Taking without reciprocal giving has never worked out with God. The gifts…
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Catholics Aren’t “Bad Religion” Nor Are The Followers
Instead, the religion serves different human needs. Education simplifies and destroys hate. And moral architecture MATTERS. So does curiosity and exposure to different world views. (Sorry to all the Catholics I accused of worshipping Lucifer in the past.) 2025 has been quite the year, let me tell ya Anyways I need to finish this book…
Patient Perspectives
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Weedpress Warned Y’all Interstate Commerce Competition Would Change Industry Standards. MPP Now Says So Too Six Months Later!
I love winning the long game that matters: federal law was always gonna turn everything inside out. I started studying how twenty years ago. So this year I wrote as boring as possible in February: Then I wrote as boring as possible in April: Then those articles got sent to some people quietly and talks…
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From Gap to Solution: A Step-by-Step Implementation Framework for a User-Level Medical Cannabis Exemption in South Dakota
The April 28, 2026 federal partial rescheduling order created a clear compliance burden for licensed operators while leaving patients who grow or use cannabis outside the commercial system in a federal gray area.¹ Reassuring public statements that “you’ll be fine” or that “state law is already strict enough” do not close that gap for home…
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Patient Legal Risks Solved: A User-Level Exemption Model for Schedule III
The April 28, 2026 federal partial rescheduling order left a significant gap: personal home cultivation was not included in the narrow categories moved to Schedule III. Colorado attorneys Brian Vicente and Rachel Gillette have been direct about the practical consequences. Vicente noted that home grows do not qualify for the new federal registration pathway because…
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No, South Dakota’s Medical Cannabis Rules Do Not Satisfy Federal Schedule III Requirements — Operators Will Need to Make Real Adjustments
New analysis shows that South Dakota’s current licensing rules do not fully satisfy the new federal Schedule III requirements. DEA registration, security upgrades, and disclosure obligations represent real adjustments that many operators will need to make. Blanket claims that “everyone will be fine with little change” overlook these gaps. Some voices in South Dakota are…
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ILLEGAL: Homegrown Cannabis Remains Outside Federal Schedule III Protections — An Open Question With Real Consequences for Patients
The April 28, 2026 federal partial rescheduling order moved only two narrow categories of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III: certain FDA-approved products and marijuana produced under qualifying state-issued medical marijuana licenses.¹ Personal home cultivation was not included in either category. This creates a significant gap. In states that permit limited home growing for…
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Tribal Operators Face Extra Risks Under Federal Rescheduling — And They Should Not Trust Reassuring Advice from People with Skin in the Game
Tribal operators face additional risks that many industry voices aren’t addressing. Independent analysis matters. Tribal and Indigenous cannabis operators are in a uniquely vulnerable position under the new federal Schedule III framework. They face all the same compliance burdens as other small operators — plus additional layers of jurisdictional complexity, disclosure risk, and uncertainty around…
WeedPress: The Paper Trail 