Arizona Tribune - Marijuana Rescheduling-Fake News Doesn't Want The Public To Know- ALJ Hearing Gone Wrong

WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESS Newswire / July 21, 2026 / MMJ International Holdings, Inc. ("MMJ"), through its subsidiaries MMJ BioPharma Cultivation, Inc. and MMJ BioPharma Labs, Inc., today highlighted sworn testimony from the Drug Enforcement Administration's own scientific staff that raises fundamental questions about the factual foundation of the Attorney General's April 28, 2026 Marijuana Rescheduling Order now under review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.(see attached)

During DEA's administrative hearing on the proposed rescheduling of marijuana, Dr. Luli Akinfiresoye, a scientist in DEA's Drug and Chemical Evaluation Section responsible for evaluating controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act, testified under oath that state medical marijuana programs are a significant source of marijuana diversion in the United States.

When asked whether her scientific review concluded that state medical marijuana programs were a significant source of marijuana diversion, Dr. Akinfiresoye answered:

"Correct."

When asked whether state medical and recreational programs appear to be a primary source of marijuana diversion and availability in the United States, she testified:

"To an extent."

Her scientific review states that "individuals have reported that a primary source for marijuana is through other individuals with access to state medical and recreational programs." When asked whether this constituted diversion from intended lawful channels, she again answered:

"Correct."

More significantly, under cross-examination Dr. Akinfiresoye acknowledged that this diversion analysis was not included in the Department of Health and Human Services' August 2023 scientific evaluation that ultimately served as the foundation for the Attorney General's rescheduling order.

When asked whether her testimony filled a gap left by HHS's analysis, she responded:

"Correct."

"This testimony goes directly to the integrity of the government's scientific process," said Duane Boise, Chief Executive Officer of MMJ International Holdings. "Diversion is not some peripheral issue-it is one of the core statutory factors Congress requires agencies to evaluate when determining whether a substance belongs in Schedule III. DEA's own scientist testified that the government's scientific recommendation omitted that analysis."

The testimony follows similar admissions earlier in the hearing from FDA witness Dr. Dominic Chiapperino, who testified that federal survey data identified state dispensaries as the largest source of marijuana obtained for both medical and non-medical use.

According to MMJ, the testimony creates an unusual administrative record in which the government's own scientific witnesses identified evidence that was either omitted or incompletely addressed in the scientific analysis underlying the April 28, 2026 Order.

"The Attorney General granted Schedule III status to marijuana distributed through state medical marijuana programs before this testimony was ever heard," Boise said. "When DEA's own scientists finally testified under oath, they identified state-licensed programs as a significant source of diversion while acknowledging that this analysis was absent from HHS's recommendation. That sequence raises serious questions currently before the D.C. Circuit."

MMJ notes that the April 28 Order also established an expedited federal registration pathway for state medical marijuana licensees while MMJ BioPharma Cultivation's DEA manufacturing registration application has remained pending for years despite the company's pursuit of FDA-regulated cannabinoid medicines through the federal pharmaceutical approval process.

Unlike state dispensary products, MMJ's investigational cannabinoid medicines have been developed under FDA Investigational New Drug applications using standardized botanical formulations, defined cannabinoid content, GMP manufacturing, stability testing, and controlled pharmaceutical supply chains designed to satisfy federal drug development standards.

"Our objective has never changed," Boise added. "Medicine should be established through science, reproducible manufacturing, and clinical evidence-not by administrative designation. Patients deserve medicines that have been evaluated under the same standards Congress established for every other prescription drug."

The consolidated petitions challenging the Attorney General's Marijuana Rescheduling Order, including MMJ's petition, remain pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

About MMJ International Holdings

MMJ International Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries MMJ BioPharma Cultivation, Inc. and MMJ BioPharma Labs, Inc., is a pharmaceutical company developing FDA-regulated cannabinoid therapeutics for Huntington's disease and multiple sclerosis. MMJ has pursued the FDA botanical drug pathway since 2018 through active Investigational New Drug programs, orphan-drug designation, DEA registrations, and GMP pharmaceutical manufacturing. The company is committed to developing standardized cannabinoid medicines that satisfy federal requirements for safety, quality, consistency, and efficacy.

CONTACT:

Madison Hisey
[email protected]
203-231-8583

Quoted testimony is drawn from notes taken by an attendee of the hearing: Proposed Rescheduling of Marijuana, DEA Docket No. 1362, Hearing Docket No. 26-96 (before Chief ALJ Derek C. Julius, June-July 2026), The official hearing transcript, when released by DEA, is the authoritative record and controls in the event of any discrepancy.

SOURCE: MMJ International Holdings

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

H.Thompson--AT