What Cannabis Businesses Need to Know About DEA Registration

Posted by on May 19, 2026

The Dispensary, Cultivation, and Manufacturing Edition

Hello fellow cannabis business operators and professionals,

We know this is a confusing time for cannabis businesses following the Department of Justice’s announcement of a major change in federal cannabis law and the publication of AG Order No. 6754-2026 on April 28, 2026.

On one hand, this order represents something patients, advocates, and responsible operators have worked toward for decades: federal recognition that state medical cannabis programs are part of legitimate medical access. On the other hand, businesses are now facing urgent questions about DEA registration, state licensing, compliance obligations, tax treatment, timelines, and what federal implementation will actually look like.

Cannabis Businesses and Professionals United for National Medical Cannabis (UNMC) is working with Americans for Safe Access (ASA) to help businesses navigate this new phase in medical cannabis access and to advocate at the state and federal levels for the best outcome for patients and the businesses that serve them.

We have created the UNMC DEA Registration Information Center to share information with colleagues to support your decision-making and to invite you to join time-sensitive efforts with ASA and UNMC, including campaigns targeting state officials, regulators, federal agencies, and Congress.

We urge businesses to stay focused, gather accurate information, and take this one step at a time. DEA has not answered every practical question businesses have, and many operators are making decisions without complete guidance.

If you feel like you do not have enough information, you are not alone.

VISIT THE UNMC DEA INFORMATION CENTER TO LEARN WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

HERE IS WHAT WE HOPE CAN HAPPEN BEFORE JUNE 26TH

If your state does not provide a clear medical cannabis license, medical endorsement, or medical-only operational pathway, contact your state regulators, governor, state legislators, and attorney general’s office now.

States may need to update laws, regulations, guidance, licensing categories, patient verification rules, inventory tracking, or reporting systems to ensure businesses comply with federal law and that patients do not lose access.

PRACTICAL STEPS BUSINESSES SHOULD TAKE NOW.

Review the DEA registration instructions and use the correct application pathway.
Gather state license documents, ownership information, and facility information
Speak with legal counsel before submitting if you have prior convictions, prior enforcement actions, license discipline, ownership complications, adult-use activity, or unclear state authorization.
Fill out the UNMC questionnaire
Contact state officials and urge them to create clear medical cannabis licensing pathways that allow businesses to qualify for DEA registration.
Stay connected with UNMC and ASA so businesses can coordinate advocacy efforts instead of each operator trying to decode this on their own.

STAY INVOLVED

UNMC and ASA encourage businesses to stay engaged and help shape implementation. This order creates opportunity, but it also creates risk if federal agencies and states do not act quickly and clearly.

Medical cannabis businesses should not be left guessing. Patients should not lose access because state licensing systems were not designed for this moment. Responsible businesses should have a clear path to comply with federal law, support patient access, and help build the next phase of national medical cannabis policy.

Join UNMC on LinkedIn. Sign up for updates from ASA. Become an ASA sponsor, donor, or member.

Most importantly, contact your state officials now and urge them to make whatever changes are needed to protect patients and allow medical cannabis businesses to come into compliance.