Drivon Consulting

The administration signed an executive order on psychedelic research, allocated $50 million toward veteran treatment programs, and had the president publicly pressing his own officials on cannabis rescheduling — all in the same Oval Office event.

The direction of federal drug policy is shifting faster than at any point in a generation. Cannabis rescheduling is not finished. The rulemaking process still has to run its course, and the legal challenges will come.

But the political environment around cannabis has changed. Operators who have kept their compliance posture clean and their business structures sound are the ones positioned to move when the regulatory environment catches up.

We will keep translating federal developments into practical guidance for clients.

Schedule III is not legalization. Here is what operators actually need to understand before making any business decisions based on the news.

What a finalized Schedule III reclassification would change:
▪️ 280E tax treatment may ease for licensed medical operations
▪️ Federal research restrictions are reduced
▪️ State-licensed medical programs gain formal federal recognition

What it does not change:
▪️ Cannabis remains a federally controlled substance
▪️ Recreational Cannabis remains Schedule I
▪️ Interstate commerce is still a federal crime

The order is a step forward. It is not a finish line. The operators who move carefully and deliberately through this period will be the ones best positioned when the dust settles.

We are advising clients on what this the potential implications may be for their specific license type. Reach out if you want to talk through it.

Hiring is easy. Managing risk is not.
We are seeing more operators deal with wrongful termination claims that could have been avoided with better structure.

What works:
📝 Clear onboarding that sets expectations from day one
📝 Defined roles and accountability
📝 Ongoing documentation of performance
📝 Consistent processes across the team

What does not:
▪️Reactive decisions
▪️Verbal warnings with no record
▪️Inconsistent treatment between employees

Good people are an asset. Poor systems turn HR into risk. Build a team that works and a structure that protects your business.

We are seeing a clear increase in wrongful termination claims across the cannabis industry.
Most of them are preventable.

The issue is rarely the termination itself. It is everything leading up to it.

Operators who protect their business focus on:
📝 Structured onboarding with clear expectations
📝 Consistent performance management
📝 Documented communication at every stage

If it is not documented, it does not exist when it matters most.

Retaining the right people and exiting the wrong ones requires structure and clear recordkeeping, not hasty and reactive decision making.

If your HR processes are not built to protect you, they are exposing you.