6,983: DEA posts first list of medical marijuana businesses that applied on time for federal registration under rescheduling

The Drug Enforcement Administration has published its first public list of state-licensed medical marijuana businesses that applied on time for federal registration under the Trump administration's partial rescheduling of marijuana, and the list counts 6,983 applications. Marijuana Moment reported on Oct. 30 that the agency's webpage formally launched that day, and Hemp Law Watch downloaded the DEA file the same day.

The file, dated Oct. 30, 2026, lists 4,197 medical marijuana dispensaries, 2,076 manufacturers and 710 distributors. Each line gives only the two-letter state code from the applicant's business address, the type of business activity and a DEA control number. It does not name the companies behind the applications, a point Marijuana Moment also noted.

What the DEA page says

The list sits on the DEA Diversion Control Division's Medical Marijuana Information page under the heading "Timely Applicants." The page calls the text file "the complete list of Medical Marijuana Timely Applicants" and says it "will be updated daily."

The agency also warns that the numbers can move. "This list is current as of the date included in the file," the page says. "This list may change as Timely Applicants are granted DEA registrations, withdraw their applications for DEA registration, or are no longer considered Timely Applicants for any other reason."

The page describes three fields: the state, the business activity (dispensary, manufacturer or distributor) and a unique control number for each application.

Where the applicants are

Oklahoma has by far the most entries, with 2,442, followed by Florida with 812 and California with 771, according to both Marijuana Moment's review and Hemp Law Watch's count of the Oct. 30 file. Maine (320) and Pennsylvania (227) round out the top five in that file.

Marijuana Moment reported that at least 43 states, along with Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, are represented. Hemp Law Watch's count of the Oct. 30 file found 44 state and territory codes in total, including D.C. and Puerto Rico. Because DEA says the file changes daily, totals may differ from one day to the next.

For readers in this site's focus states, Hemp Law Watch's count of the same file found 82 Illinois entries (59 dispensaries, 17 manufacturers and six distributors) and 56 Michigan entries (25 dispensaries, 25 manufacturers and six distributors).

A list that briefly appeared and disappeared

The rollout was bumpy. Marijuana Moment reported on Oct. 28 that a DEA webpage launched that Wednesday said a list would be posted and updated daily, but at that point the page linked only to a placeholder text file that said "TEST." DEA officials did not respond to Marijuana Moment's questions about when the real list would be uploaded, the outlet reported.

Shortly after that story was published, DEA removed the page, though Marijuana Moment said it had archived it on the Wayback Machine. According to Marijuana Moment's Oct. 30 report, DEA put the page back online on Thursday, Oct. 29, and formally launched it with the list on Friday, Oct. 30.

What "timely" means

The DEA page does not define "timely." Marijuana Moment reported that the term appears to refer to medical marijuana businesses that applied within a 60-day window after the rescheduling rule was published, which qualified them for expedited consideration.

The rescheduling rule issued in April said: "To facilitate a prompt transition, the Administrator is directed to process applications submitted within 60 days of publication within six months, and early applicants may lawfully operate under their state-issued licenses during the pendency of review," as quoted by Marijuana Moment.

That rule followed an order from Attorney General Todd Blanche that immediately moved marijuana products regulated by a state medical cannabis license, along with Food and Drug Administration-approved marijuana products, from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act to Schedule III, according to Marijuana Moment.

How businesses apply

Days after the April order, DEA began accepting registrations from medical cannabis dispensaries with a new form, Marijuana Moment reported. Earlier in October, the agency launched specialized registration forms for other types of state-licensed medical marijuana businesses, including manufacturers, distributors and analytical labs.

Businesses using the new version of DEA Form 225 for manufacturers, distributors and labs must say whether they will handle medical and/or recreational marijuana and provide state licensing information, according to Marijuana Moment. They must also specify whether they will work with marijuana, marijuana extract and/or naturally derived delta-9 THC in a cannabis product subject to a state medical license or an FDA-approved product, and answer questions about the criminal and disciplinary history of the business and key personnel.

Dispensaries could previously use a specialized form during the 60-day window for expedited consideration. Dispensaries that still want to register can now use the standard DEA Form 224, Marijuana Moment reported.

Inspections and the felony-conviction question

While applications are pending, DEA personnel have been inspecting medical marijuana dispensaries that applied, according to Marijuana Moment. Industry sources told the outlet that the way inspections are carried out varies among DEA's regional offices.

In June, Mississippi medical cannabis businesses told Marijuana Moment that DEA officials said they were among the first in the country to be inspected under the registration process. In August, Marijuana Moment obtained a list of 26 questions DEA officials were sending to medical cannabis businesses in Colorado as part of their application reviews; the outlet reported that many of those questions differed from ones asked of Mississippi operators.

The process has also drawn criticism over workers with past convictions. Nicole Huff, CEO of the Wildflower Medical Dispensary in Aberdeen, shared with Marijuana Moment correspondence from a DEA official about two employees with past felony convictions. According to the outlet, because of those records the business must fire the employees, withdraw its application, seek a waiver while losing eligibility for expedited processing, or go before an agency judge. Huff said she will take the issue before a DEA judge, Marijuana Moment reported.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) told Marijuana Moment the policy is "really problematic" and "ridiculous." "I think there should be for these nonviolent offenders who are convicted of crimes that are now legal, that we should be expunging records," he said, as quoted by the outlet.

Who this affects

For state-licensed medical marijuana operators, the list is the first public, official tally of how many locations sought federal registration in the expedited window. Under the April rule as quoted by Marijuana Moment, early applicants may keep operating under their state licenses while DEA reviews their applications, and DEA is directed to process those early applications within six months.

The list does not show which applications have been approved, denied or withdrawn, and it does not identify businesses by name. DEA says entries may drop off as applicants are granted registrations, withdraw, or stop being considered timely applicants.

The April order, as Marijuana Moment described it, covered marijuana products regulated by a state medical cannabis license and FDA-approved marijuana products.

What happens next

DEA says the file will be updated daily, so the count and the state breakdown are likely to change as reviews move forward. Separately, a DEA administrative hearing that recently concluded testimony is considering broader marijuana rescheduling, Marijuana Moment reported. In that case, briefs on a federal watchdog report were filed Oct. 29, and optional replies are due Nov. 5.

Hemp Law Watch will track changes to the DEA list and the broader rescheduling case.

Sources: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Diversion Control Division, Medical Marijuana Information page and "List of Medical Marijuana Timely Applicants" (file dated Oct. 30, 2026); Marijuana Moment (Oct. 30 and Oct. 28, 2026).