Arizona Tribune - Welcome to DEA Judge McLooney's Marijuana Kangaroo Court-DEA Grants Itself a Favor, Denies MMJ Cannabis Drug Relief

WASHINGTON, D.C. / ACCESS Newswire / July 15, 2025 / In a move that underscores everything wrong with the Drug Enforcement Administration's rogue administrative machinery, Chief Administrative Law Judge John J. Mulrooney II-dubbed "Judge McLooney" by critics-has granted the DEA government counsel's request for extra time to respond to MMJ BioPharma Cultivation's legal exceptions.

The problem? MMJ was denied a similar extension just weeks earlier. Welcome to DEA's version of justice , where the rules are rewritten on the fly- but only when it benefits the government.

The Double Standard Is Blinding

MMJ BioPharma, a pharmaceutical company developing FDA-approved cannabis medicines for Multiple Sclerosis and Huntington's Disease, filed formal exceptions on July 3, 2025. These exceptions laid out a comprehensive challenge to the agency's unlawful delay, retroactive rule changes , and structurally biased adjudication system.

On the same day, the DEA asked for time to respond-and in classic inside job fashion, Judge Mulrooney approved it with a smile.

Let's be clear: this isn't just a scheduling dispute. It's an exposure of a rigged, unconstitutional system where:

• The DEA prosecutes, adjudicates, and decides its own cases .

• Parties like MMJ are trapped in legal limbo for nearly seven years .

• And when a registrant finally gets its day in court, the outcome is pre-determined .

"No Undue Prejudice"-Unless You're the DEA

Mulrooney's ruling attempts to justify the favoritism, claiming that the government won't "unduly prejudice" MMJ by getting extra time. Yet just weeks ago, MMJ was denied a similar request -a blatant violation of equal treatment under the law .

"This is a kangaroo court in a lab coat," said one legal analyst. "The DEA's internal ALJ process has all the fairness of a Soviet tribunal with the constitutional legitimacy of a carnival ride."

MMJ's Exceptions: A Bombshell Legal Indictment

Filed by Megan E. Sheehan, Esq. , MMJ's legal brief outlines four devastating points:

1. DEA's 5-Year Delay Violates Federal Statute
   Under 21 U.S.C. § 823(j) and the 2022 Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act , DEA had 60-90 days to act. Instead, it waited nearly 5 years .

2. Retroactive Rulemaking is a Due Process Violation
   MMJ's application was submitted before the "Bona Fide Supply Agreement" rule existed. Applying it retroactively created a legal Catch-22 where compliance was impossible.

3. DEA's ALJ Process Is Structurally Unconstitutional
   MMJ cites Axon v. FTC (2023) and Free Enterprise Fund v. PCAOB , arguing that DEA's ALJs are unlawfully insulated from removal and operate under an executive echo chamber .

4. Public Interest is Being Crushed
   MMJ holds FDA INDs and Orphan Drug Designation for devastating conditions. The DEA's sabotage delays critical therapies for patients who have no other hope.

It's Not Just About MMJ-It's About the Rule of Law

This is more than a regulatory dispute. It's a crisis in American administrative law:

• A federal agency is violating binding Supreme Court precedent.

• A regulated entity with FDA backing is being strangled by delay and deception.

• And the DEA continues to block life-saving research while allowing contaminated, cartel-grown marijuana to flourish in state markets.

Enough is Enough: The Time for Reform is Now

Congress must step in. The DEA has proven time and again that it cannot regulate fairly, legally, or scientifically.

Demand the following:

• Immediate granting of MMJ's DEA license

• Transfer of cannabis research oversight to the FDA or NIH

• Congressional hearings on the DEA's misconduct and ALJ abuses

• Full accountability for Thomas Prevoznik and the Diversion Control Division

"When the DEA denies one party an extension but grants it to its own team, you no longer have an impartial courtroom-you have a farce in a black robe," said Duane Boise, CEO of MMJ BioPharma. "It's not just a clown show-it's a taxpayer-funded sabotage of patients, science, and justice."

MMJ is represented by attorney Megan Sheehan.

CONTACT:
Madison Hisey
[email protected]
203-231-8583

SOURCE: MMJ International Holdings

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

N.Walker--AT