Arizona Tribune - Federal HEMP Crackdown & Cannabis Court Rulings Confirm MMJ's Pharmaceutical Vision

WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / November 12, 2025 / The era of "gas-station weed" and unregulated THC beverages is coming to a close. A sweeping federal appropriations bill to reopen the federal government now moving through Congress-paired with enforcement actions nationwide-will redefine hemp, re-criminalize synthetic cannabinoids, and eliminate the gray-market industry that flourished under the 2018 Farm Bill loophole.

This dramatic policy shift, backed by a bipartisan coalition of 39 State Attorneys General, delivers the ultimate validation of the decade long strategy of MMJ International Holdings, one of a very few companies pursuing a fully federal compliant, vertically integrated, FDA regulated pathway for cannabis based pharmaceuticals.

I. The Ultimate Hypocrisy: State Operator Invokes Federal Law to Evade $38 Million Debt

The argument for MMJ's lawful pharmaceutical path received stunning validation this week-from the recreational cannabis industry itself.

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc., one of the world's largest marijuana operators, is invoking the Controlled Substances Act (CSA)-the same federal law that makes marijuana illegal-to nullify a contract and avoid paying a multimillion-dollar debt awarded by a federal jury.

• The Dispute: In February 2025, a federal jury awarded Hello Farms, a Michigan grower, $31.8 million plus $5 million in interest in a breach-of-contract case.

• The Appeal: Curaleaf's appellate brief to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals argues the contract is "per se unenforceable" because "federal law unambiguously makes marijuana illegal." The company claims the contract was a "conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana" in violation of the CSA.

"You cannot make this up," said Duane Boise, President & CEO of MMJ International Holdings. "A state operator is now citing the federal illegality of cannabis-the very illegality MMJ has complied with for a decade-to escape a $38 million debt. This is the naked financial risk of the gray market laid bare. The Curaleaf case proves the only stable, legal path for cannabis is through DEA licensure and FDA science."

II. The End of the Gray Market Is Now Federal Law

The collapse of state-level commercial integrity is coinciding with Congress' move to close the Farm Bill loophole once and for all.

Congressional Action: The new appropriations bill-supported by President Trump-redefines hemp to include total THC (Delta-8, Delta-10, THCA) and bans all synthetic or chemically modified cannabinoids, including THC-O, HHC, and THCP.

0.4mg Cap: The bill caps total THC content at 4 milligrams per container, effectively outlawing the entire intoxicating hemp sector.

• THC Beverages: Most contain 5-10mg per serving and will become Schedule I substances overnight.

• Intoxicating Hemp: Gummies, vapes, and tinctures using synthetic THC isomers will be banned.

• THCA Flower: "Converted THC" products will also be prohibited.

Enforcement in Motion: On November 6, 2025, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Tampa conducted coordinated raids on convenience stores selling synthetic cannabinoids, THC gummies, and cocaine-signaling a unified national enforcement priority.

"The government is raiding corner stores while blocking the very scientists who could replace those products with safe, FDA approved alternatives," Boise said. "That's cruelty disguised as process."

III. The Compliant Blueprint: MMJ's Pharmaceutical Model

As federal enforcement clears the field, MMJ International Holdings stands as the only lawful, scalable blueprint for the future of cannabis medicine.

MMJ's vertically integrated model includes:

• DEA Schedule I-licensed laboratory (MMJ BioPharma Labs)

• FDA Orphan Drug Designations for Huntington's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis FDA CLINICAL TRIALS

• GMP-certified manufacturing protocols and FDA IND-approved formulations

The current crisis stems from seven years of DEA paralysis-an agency that targeted compliant scientists while ignoring the synthetic THC explosion. In 2025, the Department of Justice conceded that the DEA's internal Administrative Law Judge system violated the Constitution, confirming MMJ's position that the agency's obstruction has been unlawful for years.

IV. A Call to President Trump and DEA Administrator Terry Cole

With the gray market dismantled and the courts affirming the rule of law, the path forward is clear.

MMJ International Holdings calls on President Trump and DEA Administrator Terry Cole to restore scientific integrity by:

1. Immediately approving MMJ BioPharma Cultivation's DEA registration under the 60-day statutory mandate.

2. Creating a DEA Medical Research Division to permanently separate scientific licensing from criminal enforcement.

"Federal enforcement isn't the enemy of science," Boise concluded. "It's what clears the field for legitimate research. MMJ is the compliant blueprint for the next generation of cannabis medicine."

About MMJ International Holdings, Inc.

MMJ International Holdings, Inc. is a U.S.-based biopharmaceutical company developing DEA licensed, pharmaceutical grade, plant derived medicines for FDA approval. Its subsidiaries-MMJ BioPharma Cultivation and MMJ BioPharma Labs-advance proprietary cannabinoid soft-gel formulations for the treatment of Huntington's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis.

MMJ is represented by attorney Megan Sheehan.

CONTACT:
Madison Hisey
[email protected]
203-231-85832

SOURCE: MMJ International Holdings

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A.O.Scott--AT