Congress pulled in opposite directions on cannabis on Thursday: the House Appropriations Committee voted to bar further federal rescheduling, even as the full chamber passed a bipartisan amendment giving veterans the right to discuss medical cannabis with their VA doctors. A Delaware court extended federal bankruptcy protection to a cannabis company for the first time, Nevada put a dollar figure on the cost of separating cannabis and gaming, and CDC data confirmed the scale of cannabis as a sleep aid for millions of Americans.
House Appropriations Committee Votes to Block Cannabis Rescheduling
The House Appropriations Committee approved a fiscal year 2027 spending bill containing a rider that would prevent federal funds from being used to reschedule cannabis, Marijuana Moment reports. The provision, passed 32–28, reads that no funds “may be used to reschedule marijuana or to remove marijuana from the schedules” under the Controlled Substances Act, a direct legislative challenge to the Trump administration’s April order moving state-licensed medical cannabis to Schedule III. The bill must clear the House Rules Committee and pass the full chamber before Senate agreement is required. If enacted, its effect on the existing rescheduling order remains legally untested. Follow the latest on the BoC Cannabis Rescheduling hub.
Bipartisan House Amendment Opens VA Door to Medical Cannabis Recommendations
A bipartisan House amendment allowing veterans to receive medical cannabis recommendations from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) physicians passed by voice vote on Thursday, Marijuana Moment reports. Sponsored by Representatives Brian Mast, Dave Joyce, and Dina Titus, the measure would remove a longstanding VA directive preventing its providers from assisting patients in registering for state medical cannabis programmes. The sponsors argue that veterans managing chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic brain injury should be able to discuss cannabis options with their doctors without legal risk to either party. The amendment must survive conference with the Senate before it can become law.
Nevada Forfeits US$80 Million Annually by Separating Cannabis and Gaming
Nevada forfeits an estimated US$80 million in annual cannabis tax revenue because state regulations impose a 1,500-foot buffer between cannabis retailers and gaming venues, preventing sales in and around the Las Vegas Strip, according to a UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute report published on Thursday. Total commercial losses across the supply chain are estimated at US$750 million per year, with the gap filled by unlicensed operators subject to no such zoning restrictions, Hemp Gazette reports. A Nevada state senator described the decade-old separation policy as “an economic and policy anachronism.” The report’s authors recommend the legislature revisit the rules before its next budget cycle.
Delaware Court Ruling Sets Precedent for Cannabis Bankruptcy Proceedings
The Cannabist Co. became the first cannabis business to secure US recognition of a foreign insolvency when a Delaware court agreed on 14 May to validate its Canadian restructuring under Chapter 15 of the US bankruptcy code, Bloomberg Law reports. Bankruptcy courts have historically declined cannabis cases because recreational cannabis remains Schedule I under federal law. The ruling follows the April rescheduling of state-licensed medical cannabis to Schedule III, and restructuring advisers say it suggests the US Trustee may be reassessing its longstanding opposition to cannabis insolvency filings. The precedent is limited, but could prove significant for other Canadian-incorporated operators with US exposure. Track restructuring activity on the BoC Cannabis M&A Tracker.
CDC Data Shows 3.7% of US Adults Use Cannabis Daily to Aid Sleep
Some 3.7% of US adults aged 18 or older report using cannabis products most days to help fall or stay asleep, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published by NORML on Thursday. The figure rises to approximately 5.5% among those aged 18 to 35. Across all sleep aids, 13% of adults now report daily or near-daily use — more than double the rate recorded in 2013. The data arrive ahead of the June DEA hearing on broader rescheduling, in which the scale of therapeutic adoption is expected to feature in the case made by patient and industry participants.
Watch this weekend for Senate appropriators’ initial responses to the House rescheduling rider. Any counter-provision would clarify whether Congress intends to formalise or contest the April order. The Texas appellate hearing on smokeable hemp, scheduled for 17 May, will provide a further signal of how courts are treating state-level prohibition.
