THE WINDOW
Schedule III is open. The expedited window closes June 27.
State-licensed medical operators have a sixty-day federal registration window. We publish what's settled and what isn't. We handle the filing.
THE SITUATION
Sixty days. Then standard track.
The April 23 order moved medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III and opened a sixty-day expedited registration window for state-licensed operators. Inside the window, the application runs on shortened review timelines with preferential evaluation under the public-interest factors.
Outside the window, registration stays available — same form, longer track. Most practitioners expect standard-track adjudication to run six to twelve months. The expedited shortcut doesn't come back.
THE PRACTICE
Small caseload. Single point of contact.
Sandra Smith runs the practice. Sandra Smith is a former Casino CFO who is now applying her financial expertise to the cannabis industry. She has been deeply involved in the regulatory and compliance aspects of cannabis operations, making her a valuable resource for operators navigating the complexities of federal rescheduling.
Engagements are taken in small numbers and worked end-to-end. The advisor who answers the first call is the advisor who drafts the filing, responds to DEA correspondence, and handles the renewals. There is no intake team, no associate hand-off, no offshore back office.
Operational logistics — document gathering, deadline tracking, version control, audit trail — run on a proprietary platform built for this work. The operator provides substance. The platform handles the rest. Most engagements require four to six hours of operator time across a six-to-ten week timeline.
Federal regulatory practice for cannabis operators is its own discipline. The practice covers Schedule III registration, federal recordkeeping bridge, registrant-type analysis, response to DEA correspondence, and renewal management. Tax matters — including 280E refund analysis on open tax years — are referred to specialist counsel and CPAs in a vetted network. The introductions are part of the engagement.
Find out where you stand.
MON–FRI · 8AM–6PM CT · SATURDAY BY APPOINTMENT